Elemental Shifter? What's that?
by Cooky Crumbla
Summary: What if Chris Argent had an older brother? What if his daughter played an important role in the town of Beacon Hills? Ashlynn Blake Argent is a special kind of supernatural. So special, that the supernatural world has forgotten that her kind even exist. Read to find out how she gets involved with a crazy alpha, two teenage boys, a grumpy beta, and a family of hunters.
1. Prologue

**This is my first attempt to publish a story. Reviews and comments will be much appreciated. Enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Teen Wolf, only my OC's.**

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**"Shit!" I said looking towards the front of the house where the door creaked open, "This is bad, really, really bad." "What's bad?" Allison cried hysterically. "Ashlynn, what's bad?" she screamed again when we didn't answer. "Allison, get back," my uncle said urgently while we all stepped back. "What is it?" she asked looking at the door confused. "It's the alpha." Scott said, his eyes glowing yellow. "Ashlynn, protect Allison!" Uncle Chris yelled at me. I knew the alpha wouldn't hurt her, he was after Aunt Kate, but Uncle Chris didn't know that. Right as I went to grab her, he darted out of the house and started circling us like we were his prey. Which I guess when you think about it we were. Even though he only wanted Kate, he was hunting all of us, waiting for the opportune time to take us out of the equation.**

**Down went Chris, then Allison and scott, until it was only Aunt Kate and me standing. "Come on!" she hollered. I shook my head sadly as it started to gently rain and stepped away, "You shouldn't have done it Aunt Kate. There were innocent children in that house. Kids who I practically thought of as my own." She looked at me shocked, "Ashlynn? What are you talking about? You didn't even know them!" Hot tears rolled down my cheeks as I spoke, my voice choking, "You're wrong. I did know them. They were my family. You weren't around when momma died. You didn't even come to her funeral." She shook her head in denial. "Daddy was distraught and he was depressed for a while after it happened. So we came here to Beacon Hills to stay with the Hale family. I grew up with a lot of those kids. I loved them and you killed them. You almost killed me, but Peter was able to get me and his kids out under the ruse to go play even though we were all sick just minutes before you locked them all in. Then, he went back inside to try and talk them all into leaving immediately when you set fire to the house.**

**I watched and listened as the people who I'd come to think of as family, were burned alive. Did you know that daddy was supposed to be there? Instead he had volunteered to go to the store to get medicine for the ones who were sick. He'd left twenty minutes earlier." I walked up to her and softly placed a kiss on her cheek, "It's ok though. I forgive you, Aunt Kate." And as I stepped back, the alpha - Peter looked at me with understanding as he swept by me knocking me off my feet. Though I was able to catch myself, I was dazed for a few minutes and didn't see Peter drag Kate into the house or Allison run in after them. As I lay there waiting for everything to come back into focus, I began thinking about how we got here; to this moment in time. I thought back to when and how I learned the truth of the Hale fire. **


	2. Ashlynn's Background

This is just background information, mostly. It is important that you read it, because it might get confusing if you don't. Enjoy! Reviews are much appreciated.:)

Disclaimer: Teen Wolf isn't mine.

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Woah. Woah. Woah. I'm getting way ahead of myself. I bet you're all confused, huh? Well, let me tell you a bit about my life so far. My name is Ashlynn Blake Argent. You heard right, Argent. My father, Andrew Nicolai Argent, is the oldest son of Gerard Argent and older brother to my Uncle Chris and Aunt Kate. My father was bitten by a rogue Alpha on the job one night when he was hunting and obviously since I'm here he survived. We're not really sure how, but he didn't change into a werewolf or die. He did manage to kill the alpha that bit him, though. A few months later, he met my mother, Anna Marie Louis, who was an elemental shifter. An elemental shifter is someone who can change into many different animals (much like the shifters in True Blood), but can also control an element (s). They got married a year and a half later and skipped town. Ten months later, on August 9, they had me. Right before I turned one, I somehow managed to change into a wolf pup. My parents were baffled. They discovered that since my father had killed an alpha, even though he didn't change, somehow the power of the alpha passed to him. So that pretty much meant he was an alpha, only he would never change. My mother was also an alpha because she was the last of her bloodline. So when they got together, their genes combined to make me, a new breed of supernatural. They concluded that I was definitely a shifter like my mom, my dominant form would be that of a werewolf - and not just any werewolf... an alpha. Even though I was very young, it seemed my abilities were adamant to show themselves. By the time I was five, I could shift into any animal I wanted. I even had control over my wolf on the full moon.

It wasn't until I was six, that we found out I was an elemental as well. There was a carnival in town and I had begged and pleaded to go. We were having so much fun, and mom had even brought the camera to take pictures for our scrapbook, when everything became chaotic. Mom hurried to put everything in the bag that she had brought and strapped it on my back, so I wouldn't lose it. There were gunshots and people screaming and running. In all the commotion, my mother and I got separated from my father. The gunshots sounded closer and closer every second as mom looked for a place we could hide. Unfortunately, the shooters were much closer than we had anticipated, and they descended upon us. Mom tried to distract them so I could get away, but I was frozen in fear. They made me watch as they violated her. The entire time she was telling me it was going to be ok, I felt something building inside of me, like it wanted out. The more they taunted us and laughed, the more the feeling inside of me built, waiting to be unleashed. When they decided they were finished with her, they dragged her up until she was kneeling only three feet in front of me, and they pointed the gun at her. I could hear police sirens and my father calling out to my mother and me as they pulled the trigger. Being covered in my mom's blood is what released my ability to control the elements.

When my father and the police found us, every single man was unconscious and my mother was slowly bleeding to death. She was immediately rushed to the hospital. The doctors told us that the bullet had gone through, but they couldn't get the internal bleeding to stop. She was barely awake when we went in to say our goodbyes. As we sat in the hospital room, she told me that she had written a journal for me in case I showed an elemental ability and about her life and the things she went through. She died a few hours later. My father fell into a depression soon after her funeral, so we moved back to Beacon Hills, California, to stay with the Hale family who were good friends with my parents.

Three weeks. That's how long I stayed in a coma like state. The week after those three weeks was spent gaining back my strength and health. And the weeks after that, I spent pouring over my mother's journals in secret. It took me a little over a month but I finished every journal she'd written. I started disappearing for hours on end; practicing, training, and honing my abilities. My father's depression didn't get better until four months after I'd finished mom's journals. And even then, it was only because I'd been admitted to the hospital. I was practicing in the woods and I lost track of the time. Next thing I know, it's dark out and I'm having trouble breathing all of a sudden. The cold weather wasn't helping my situation either. It was later than I'd thought because everyone was out looking for me. I made it to about twenty feet from the house when I collapsed, unable to stay awake any longer. As darkness invaded my mind, I cried out so they could find me. Of course, I told the doctors that I'd gotten lost in the woods, so that no one would get suspicious. They told me I had pneumonia and kept me for four days. When I was released, I gave everyone the same excuse. It was dark and cold and I just got lost. Things went back to normal in the days after I was discharged from the hospital. The adults would sit down on the porch drinking coffee or tea, us kids would rough house in the yard, and my dad was on the mend. I waited a few weeks before I started up my training again, only this time I added more: obstacle courses, endurance, speed, enhancing my senses etc.

For the next year and a half, things continued as they always had, until the day after my eighth birthday. Sarah (Derek's mom), Michael (Derek's dad), Peter (Derek's uncle), and my dad had gathered us all into the living room for a family meeting. My dad explained what I am and how I came to be that way to everyone who didn't already know. And then they proceeded to inform us all that we would be training together, and that Derek and Laura would have to help get me to their level. Of course this made me mad, and only furthered my want to prove them all wrong. Over the course of the next few days, the adults tested our endurance: how fast we could run and for how long, our resistance to weather, our senses, etc. Then the real fun began, They took us to a clearing that was big enough for us to train and fight in and told me to defend myself against Derek and Laura. As I stood in the middle of the field, I let instinct take over. I could feel them as they prowled around me, waiting to pounce. I heard their heartbeats quicken, when I didn't show a response to the sounds they were making. I could taste the emotion in the air, the need to scare. Thump. Thump. There! The attack began, I won't go into detail, but know that they got whooped by an eight year old. At the end, when we were all laying on the ground breathless, the adults come over and asked how I was able to do that with no training. I told them that I'd been training for the past year and half not only heightening my senses but my control over the elements as well. We all agreed that since I was at Laura and Derek's level already that we would begin intensive training immediately. For five years, we lived peacefully. Training non-stop. Unfortunately, there's always an obstacle that brings that peace to an end.

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My dad decided that the summer I turned twelve, we were going to go on a cruise. He told me I could bring two people along, so I chose Braylen and Phoenix. They were always getting left out when we went places so, I thought they deserved it. Plus the twins and I were really close. It's a win-win situation either way. So, when May came around and we got out of school, we said our byes to the family, and headed to the airport. Seven hours later, we landed in Florida, got a rental car, and drove the rest of the way. When we arrived the next day, we were in for a shock. Apparently, the cruise wasn't going to be starting for another two weeks due to staffing delays. The captain met with us to discuss arrangements. He explained that they had sent out messages to everyone, but it seemed ours hadn't been delivered. Dad had the bright idea to offer our help until the rest of the staff were available in exchange for us staying on the ship. After they shook on it, the captain, whose name we learned was Anton Berkeley, showed us where we would be staying. As we were going to be helping out as well as being guests, we were given one of the larger suites. It was HUGE! We each got our own room, plus there was a kitchen and two bathroom. After settling in, Anton took us to meet the staff that was already here. Most of them weren't too happy to have children helping out, but there were a few people who I took a liking too. There was Maria, the dance instructor; Amanda and Edward (an older man), who were part of the kitchen; the captain (of course!); Lucinda, the head of the cleaning people; and my favorite, John Gilly (he prefers to be called Gilly), the head of security. Turns out they all knew about 'supes' (as they put it). Anton and Lucinda were both actually born into a family of werewolves, but the gene was dormant. Edward was a retired hunter and Amanda, Maria, and Gilly were all shifters. Maria was a panther, Amanda a wolf, and Gilly was like me, only he could only shift into any animal he saw. Plus he couldn't control the elements like I could either. Anton put me with Edward and Amanda to help in the kitchen, well mostly watch, but still; Phoenix was with Maria and Dad decided to help Gilly. Braylen got to stay with Anton. Two weeks and a couple of days later, we were on our way to Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean.

(AN: I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about what happens on the cruise. I'm just gonna sum it up.)

The two months on the cruise were spectacular! We visited many places like Bioluminescent Bay and the Bahamas. There were different classes you could take like dance, martial arts, even language classes. Since I already knew how to defend myself, I spent my time learning new languages like Spanish and French and even taking a few dance classes. Braylen and Phoenix made a few new friends who they promised they would keep in touch with. Even though it wasn't hunting, dad was happy to be in a security like position. I also picked up some awesome cooking ideas from Edward and Amanda. When their boss wasn't working, they would let me cook with them and come up with some new ideas. The guests actually liked some of my ideas, too! The day we were to head home, Braylen, Phoenix, and I came down with colds. When we touched down in California, they got worse. Bray and Nix couldn't stay warm and were shivering badly, I ended up puking my guts up outside the terminal, and to top it all off we still had to drive back to the house which would take an hour. Let's just say that was probably the worst hour of my life. By the time we got home, the twins were passed out, and I could barely function properly. My head felt like it was being split in two with a drill saw, and my entire body ached and would go into small convulsions every few minutes. All in all, it felt like I was dying. After an entire day of this, and me not getting better while the twins were, dad called in Dr. Deaton. After running some tests, he deduced that it was just a high fever of 108 degrees. After everyone freaked out saying I should be dead, he explained that since shifters naturally ran a higher temperature than humans that I would be able to withstand the high temp. He also gave me a homemade concoction of his to take, that would help bring down the fever almost instantly and it would go back to being a simply cold. Though the twins and I were getting better, albeit them a little faster, we were all still experiencing bad cases of the shivers and coughs, so we were all bedridden.

Three days later, Sarah sent dad out for some cough medicine in hopes that maybe if we could get the coughs to go away, so would the shivers. Five minutes later, Peter is coming into my room telling me to quickly pack everything valuable to me. Deciding not to question him because of the urgency in his voice, I immediately get up and pack as quickly as I can. Photos, music, my scrapbooks, anything and everything I know I will be able to carry in a bag. When I was done, he led me out into the backyard where I saw Bray and Nix waiting. I started asking questions left and right, but he wouldn't answer. He just told me to take the twins and hide. He made me promise that no matter what I heard, I would stay with them and protect them with my life. Not knowing what he was talking about, I promised. And I kept my promise. I took them to a spot I'd found earlier on in my training that I called the 'Batcave' like in Batman. It had tunnels going all through the ground and best of all, the entrance was hidden. Not only that, but it wasn't too far from the house, so if someone hollered for me, I could hear them. Since we were all still recovering, the short walk it took to get there had tired us out. Bray and Nix sort of just made a pallet on the ground and dozed. As I sat watching the entrance to the cave, I kept my senses alert. For Peter to send us out of the house while we were recovering, I knew it had to be something bad. Sure enough, five minutes later, I hear people walking through the trees. I smelt gunpowder and knew it wasn't anyone good.

Gasoline and smoke. Then fire and screams. I can still hear their screams like it was yesterday. I wanted to help. I knew I could. Fire was my strongest element. But I'd made a promise. And anyway, I couldn't leave the twins alone. I mean, what if something happened to me and no one knew where to find them? I wouldn't have been able to deal with it if something happened to them because I tried to be the hero. Right when the screams started, the twins startled out of their sleep and scrambled to get up. I managed to grab them before they got anywhere, and we sank to the ground as one, crying, as we listened to the dying screams of our family. I glanced up as I held them, to see a flash of what seemed to be the dirty blonde hair of a female. Thinking it was my mind playing tricks on me, I forgot about it. It wasn't until a few years later, that it occurred to me that, that flash of blonde hair could have been the person who started the fire. Half an hour had passed, when we heard the sirens. I could also hear my dad, Derek, and Laura screaming, trying to get inside. Knowing that the danger had initially passed, we grabbed our bags.

Slowly, to make sure no one strange was lurking around to see us emerge, I made my way out first. When I was sure it was clear, I gestured to the twin that is was ok. None of us wasted any time. We ran as fast as we could to get to what was left of our family. Upon seeing us, my dad broke free of the firefighter that was holding him back and engulfed us in his arms. As we sobbed, Laura and Derek joined our group hug. Though they didn't want to - as you could see it in their faces - two police officers interrupted our grieving. Dad told them he had gone to get medicine for the three of us and that he had no idea what had happened. I took over and explained that while we were resting, Peter - who we learned was severely burned and the only survivor, had been rushed to the hospital - had come in and told each of us to pack up everything valuable to us and then told me to take the twins and go hide. When they asked why we remained hidden, I told them about the promise he'd made me make. I also told them that as he'd walked away I heard him mutter, 'Gotta convince them to leave now.' When they asked if I'd seen anything else, I said no. The flash of blonde hair being so far from my mind that I forgot it had even happened. They escorted us to the hospital where the doctors told us that Peter was in a coma and they didn't know if or when he would wake from it.

Though we tried to convince them to stay, Laura and Derek left a few weeks later. They couldn't bear the heartache of so many memories. Derek was worse than all of us. He wouldn't tell us anything, but I knew that he was blaming himself for the fire. I knew that he'd gotten a girlfriend a few months before our cruise, but he'd never really introduced her officially to the family. Or if he did, he'd done it while we were on the cruise. Somehow, even though I'd never met her, I knew that she had something to do with the fire. Otherwise, Derek wouldn't be blaming himself. He'd realize that whoever the arsonist was, that they were sick in the head for killing..no... murdering innocent people, not to mention children. Deep down I knew it was because we were different. Monsters is what the hunters called us. So after they left, dad bought a new house closer to town but still far enough away that we could have privacy from prying eyes. Dad ended up buying a little bar/diner from this little old couple, who wanted to retire, for pretty cheap. We remodeled it a bit for our liking, and opened it about a month later. Because Bray, Nix, and I were missing so much school, dad made a deal with the principle that if we could take the exams early and pass, that we wouldn't have to go to school until the next year which would put me in sixth grade and the twins in third grade.

**(AN: Ashlynn skipped first grade because of her mother passing away and went the next year. And had to repeat third grade because of all the training, they took her out since they didn't know she'd already been training. Afterwards, they just let her stay home. The twins skipped first grade.)** Well we took the tests, and passed with flying colors. Dad called in Edward, Amanda, and Gilly to work for us. He let me work as a waitress/hostess and I even got to help out in the kitchen sometimes. Bray would help clean tables and wash dishes and Nix would flit from one thing to another helping wherever she was needed. People would sometimes question why youngsters were working, but once dad explained, they all accepted and moved on. Pretty often you'd hear someone say "They may be kids, but they know what they're doing. Besides they liven the place up."  
Over the next year, our little bar/diner had become a pretty popular place. We even had regulars who would come in on certain days. Unfortunately, our school-free year, was up. Dad couldn't manage taking us to school and running the diner, so he had Amanda take us to school and then come in to work. It worked out this way because they'd hired another cook to help lighten the load on Edward and Amanda. Before we knew it, we had a cycle. Go to school, come home and do homework, go to work, train, and then do it all over again.

Two years passed and I was in my last year of middle school, when the twins met Stiles and Scott.** (AN: Ashlynn is now fifteen, the twins are ten, and Stiles and Scott are twelve.)** They were odd boys and even though the two pairs couldn't be more opposite, they just sort of clicked. Dad told the twins that they couldn't let them know about our secret and shockingly, they agreed. He'd taken me aside and told me to watch over the two boys. Ever since the fire, dad had kind of gone all mystic. It seemed like he just knew things. He just put it off as following his instinct. I trusted him though, and watched out for them. Once again, our life lapsed back into a cycle. All of us having a different one this time around. Between studying to get my license, school, work, and training, I barely had any time for myself. You would always find Braylen with Scott and Stiles, and if Phoenix wasn't with them, then she was with her friend Erica, who'd she met shortly after meeting the boys. Business was so good at the diner, that Dad had expanded it to the building on the lot next to it, and put it a sort of hang out spot for teens. It was kind of like a club, only it didn't serve alcohol. With the expansion, and having to hire new people and security, dad was always busy. Which of course, left me in charge of the twins, and because where they were, Scott and Stiles were also... I think you get the picture. So I usually had four or five kids, depending on if Erica was over or not, to look after. They might have been a handful, but I always had fun. There were a few close calls where the twins almost spilled the secret, but somehow we managed to divert everyone's attention almost every time it happened.

You'll be glad to know that I got my driver's license a couple months before school ended, and with it, my dad got me a black 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV. Not the most stylish of cars, I know, but I was going to be driving kids and myself to school and such, so it was fine with me. Though they weren't that much younger than me, Scott, Stiles, and Erica grew on me. I looked at them like they were my younger siblings. I took them under my wing and helped them out when I could, especially Erica. Being an epileptic is hard, but it's even harder when people make fun of you because of it. She wouldn't let any of us do anything about it. And for fear that they would retaliate even worse, we left it alone, for her sake. I should mention also, that even though Erica was friends with Phoenix, she didn't much care to hang out with the boys that often and they seemed to have the same mindset. Although she did have the biggest crush on Stiles. Don't tell her I told you, heh heh.

Over the next four years, our lives went on pretty much the same. Some things changed after I moved up to high school, though. The boys seemed to distance themselves from the girls and vice versa. When they were at the house they would hang out together for maybe like twenty minutes before they were going off doing their own thing. I don't know. I guess maybe puberty? It was the end of my junior year,Stiles and Scott's freshman year, and the twins' eighth grade year, when the principal approached me, asking for a meeting with dad about the twins. Come to find out, their scores on the last exams, were phenomenal, and the principal wanted them to be put in sophomore classes instead of freshman classes. They agreed almost immediately, and so on the last day of school, I took them around to meet all the teachers and show them where everything was. Needless to say, they were so ecstatic, that they barely paid attention to a word I said. Then, at the end of the day, they just left with Scott and Stiles to 'celebrate'.

As I was headed to my 2008 white dodge charger, - eighteenth birthday present - I saw Erica sitting all alone looking quite downtrodden. Curious as to what happened, I offered to give her a ride home. Instead of going straight home, I took her for some ice cream to talk over. As we ate our yummy cup of deliciousness (lol), she told me that she'd had an episode today during one of her classes and that some guy had got it on video and posted it all over the internet. My temper had threatened to explode, when I asked her where the boys and Nix were, and all she could do was look away. I took her home and after speaking with her mother to get permission, I made it my mission to make Erica feel better, no matter how long it took. I went home and told dad that I was taking a few days off for personal reasons, which when I explained to him - but told him not to say anything - he completely understood. I packed a bag with a few days worth of clothes and other stuff and headed back to Erica's.

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And that is the end of that. Whew! I thought I'd never get done with that. It took forever to get things straightened out. Anyway, next chapter kind of introduces Ashlynn's relationship with Erica, as well as skims over the summer activities.


	3. Distancing Friendships

If you skipped over the background, please go back and read it. It has important information in it.

Disclaimer: Teen Wolf is unfortunately not mine. Enjoy. :)

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Driving back to Erica's house, my thoughts ran wild. 'I don't understand. Even though they had something to be excited about, it shouldn't have made them miss the way Erica was acting. Something's going on damnit and I'm gonna find out what.' Growling, I turned on the radio in hopes that it would distract me from my thoughts. Luckily, it worked. As I pulled into her driveway, Mrs. Reyes was just about to leave. She paused and walked over to me as I got out of my car, "Ashlynn... I... I just want to thank you for this. My Erica has always had a rough time, and I've been so afraid for her. I just... (she pauses to wipe her eyes) you have no idea how much this means to her, and to me. It's not often you see an older teen looking after a younger one." Hearing her say all these things made me tear up, "Mrs. Reyes, you don't need to thank me. As Erica started hanging out with my little cousin, Phoenix, I... it's kind of hard to explain. There was just something about her that drew me in. I felt like I had to protect her from the world. I don't know if she told you what happened (she nodded telling me she had).. I don't know why Nix hasn't..." She cut me off with a knowing look, "Sweetheart, it doesn't matter if Nix is ignoring her because of the video or not. It's the fact that for some reason, she forgot about Erica, and Erica knows that. She told me right after they met, that she didn't care if she knew it was going to end badly. She just wanted a friend. And with that friend, she got a big sister. She looks up to you, Ashlynn. And right now, YOU are the one she needs. Not me and not Phoenix. You. Go on, now. I gotta get to work. You girls behave." The tears were flowing and I smiled as she got in her car and drove off. I wiped my face, grabbed my bags, and headed inside.

The house was awfully quiet. 'We are definitely gonna have to change that.' I walked upstairs making quite a ruckus. I didn't want to frighten the poor girl. Opening her door, the first thing I notice are the pictures up on the wall. Us goofing off, dad grilling, the boys wrestling in the yard, us girls having a sleepover. Erica is sitting on her bed staring at them. I sit down beside her and lay my hand over hers, "Those were the good days. Days where none of us worried about what people would think of what we're wearing or how cute the new guy is. None of us had a care in the world. (She looked at me, tears welling. I smiled sadly.) But that time is gone and now we must make the best of the here and now. You're gonna get through this, GummyBear. And I'll be right beside you the whole way." She laughed weakly at the mention of her nickname. We came up with them a few years back. I was MamaBear. Nix was ThingOne. Bray was ThingTwo. Stiles was Batman . Scott was Shaggy. And dad was Pops. Many times since I'd met Erica, I thought of giving her the bite so she wouldn't have to suffer anymore. And to be honest, I don't really have a reason as to why I haven't. I guess I just haven't worked up the courage to do it. "Anyway, enough with all this sad talk. Let's get this sleepover started!" I whooped jumping with excitement.

Erica grinned and wiped her eyes, "Ok. Mom just went grocery shopping, so we have like a ton of food." As we walked into the kitchen and looked through the pantry, I cocked an eyebrow at her in shock, "Why does your mom buy so much food? You could feed an army with all this stuff!" She giggled sheepishly, "Uh... Well, I actually eat a lot. Like I'm always eating." I just stared at her. "What? I like to eat!" she said exasperatedly. My lips spread out into a grin and I couldn't hold it anymore; I busted out laughing. Trying to stifle my laughter, I said, "Girl you are like tiny. I mean I can't really say anything cuz I eat like crazy too and don't gain any weight. But whenever you were around, you never really ate much...(I trailed off, slowly realizing her reason for that.) You thought we'd judge you? (She nodded looking at the floor.) Oh sweetheart." I hugged her, "If there is one thing I can promise you, it's that I will never judge you, and I will never let anyone else judge you either. Now, let's get some junk food and watch some action movies. Cuz I don't know about you, but I am not in the mood for sappy romances."

We giggled and grabbed a few bags of chips since it was still early, - didn't want to ruin our supper - and headed to the living room. "So what should we watch?" I asked looking through their movies. And let me tell you, they have the collection. "Hmmm... I don't know.. Have you seen 'I Am Number Four'? I haven't watched it, but mom says it's good," she said looking on the other shelf. "Seriously? I've been wanting to see that, but with school and work, I haven't had the time. I didn't even know it'd come out yet!" I exclaimed. "It hasn't. My uncle is really good with pretty much any kind of technology and whenever we want to see a movie he sends us a copy," she snickered. Bewildered, my head shot around, "It's bootleg? (She nodded trying not to laugh.) Damn, and I thought I was bad. Just kidding. I seriously doubt anyone could be as bad as me when it comes to stuff like that, though." "What do you mean?" she asked while putting the movie on. I thought for a second on how to explain as she sat down beside me. "Well, uh... let's see... I'm sort of a computer nerd. I guess is what you'd call me? Um... maybe more of a techy. You give me any kind of technology and I can do just about anything with it," I said hesitantly, not sure if I explained that right. She nodded saying, "So you could hack into stuff?" I laughed, "Oh yeah. Once I even hacked into the school's network and changed a whole bunch of stuff. Of course compared to now, that was child's play. I've had quite a few years to further my knowledge and experience, so. But I usually only do stuff like that for pranks or if it's an emergency." "Dude... That is... Awesome!" she squealed.

She grabbed the remote and hit play, when my phone went off. 'You are beautiful in every single way, Yes, words can't bring you down' "It's Phoenix," I stated as I grabbed my phone and answered. "Hello?" "Where are you?" she huffed. "You're not at home." Baffled for a second, I just looked at my phone before I replied, "I'm sorry, 'mother', I didn't realize I had to explain my whereabouts to a fourteen year old, when I myself am an adult. But if it means anything, I'm at a friends house." "You're at a friends? You never told us you were going to a friends," she haughtily. I scoffed, "Last time I checked it was dad I had to inform where I was going, not you. First off, you ran off with the boys so damn fast after school that I couldn't have told you where I was going if I had wanted to. And second off, I didn't know I was going to a friends until after you'd already left." "Yeah whatever. Does dad even know you're not home?" she said accusingly. "I don't know what the hell is going on with you right now Phoenix Rose, but when you get the fuck over yourself, call me. Until then, don't bother," I said hanging up. Erica looked at me puzzled, "What was that all about?" Shaking my head I got up to pace, "I don't know, but something is definitely going on. I need to talk to my dad. Do you wanna come?" She nodded and grabbed her shoes, while I grabbed my keys and purse.

When we arrived at the house, I was relieved to see dad was home still, but the twins weren't. Walking through the door I hollered, "Dad! We need to talk like ASAP!" "Kitchen!" 'Of course you're in the kitchen.' "My dad is always in the kitchen. If you can't find him anywhere else, look in the kitchen," I told Erica as we went into the kitchen. "That's because I love to cook. It takes away the stress of a hard day," dad chuckled. I smiled, but then got serious, "Dad, something's wrong with Phoenix. I don't know about the boys, but she called me and she was acting like..." He cut me off before I could finish, "strange? I was afraid this would happen. Erica, I need you to be honest with me, ok? (She nodded warily.) Have Braylen and Phoenix been acting strange this school year?" "Well.. I mean, I guess. Nix started ignoring me. At first I thought it was because we were a grade apart and weren't in the same school anymore, but then everytime I tried coming over or call she'd always make some excuse as to why I couldn't. And then I found out a few of those times, Stiles and Scott were here. I don't know about Braylen, though. You'd have to ask Stiles of Scott. Once school started last year, the boys sort of shunned me. I don't think they meant to, but with me being..." "It doesn't matter! They're supposed to be your friends. Friends stick by their friends. No matter what! And this started long before you moved up to high school, didn't it?" I said cutting her off. She nodded sadly. "She's right, Erica. If you're friends can't accept you for who you are, flaws and all. Then they were never really your friends. I'm not saying that's the case with the boys and Phoenix, but just in general. Now, there could be many different scenarios that this falls in, and we'll never really know which until we talk to the twins. I do have a theory though. Would you say Phoenix is popular?"

"Of course. She's a cheerleader. Not to mention all the clubs she's in, and she's the class president," I said fuming. Dad nodded, "I think she's just gotten so caught up in her popularity that it's gone to her head. Braylen not so much because he only ever really hangs out with Scott and Stiles, but - and I hate to put it this way - they were never really interested in being your friends, were they Erica?" "Damnit! How did I not notice any of this?!" I exclaimed pulling my hair. "Ash... you couldn't have known. You said so yourself earlier that you were so busy with school, work, and all the other stuff you were doing, that you didn't have time for anything else. I know now that it's their loss. You taught me that," Erica spoke so softly I almost couldn't hear her. My heart swelled with pride at her words and at that moment I knew I'd made my decision. "Dad can we talk for a sec?" I asked. "Sure. We'll be right back Erica," he called over his shoulder as we walked to his study. He leant against his desk as I stood in front of him debating on how to tell him. I mean I couldn't just blurt it out, well I guess I could, but then he might think... "You want to give her the bite." that I... wait what? I looked up from my musing with the brilliant reply, "Uh... what?" He laughed, "You want to give her the bite." When I just stood there not knowing what to think let alone say, he continued, "I've known for a while, actually. And I know that until now you wanted to, but couldn't gather the courage to do it. I also know that you have no idea why that is. Fear. You didn't want to be rejected." "Of course I didn't want to be rejected! Who does?" I cried.

"You don't have to ask me Ashlynn. You are your own alpha. Not me. It's never been me," he stated gently. "I know. But I can still ask for your advice. Daddy, I may be eighteen, but I'll always need you. Forever and Always," I said hugging him. "I know, sweetheart. Now how about we go break it to her, yeah?" he said squeezing me. I nodded and walked back to the kitchen. I gestured for Erica to sit down as I took a deep breath, 'Well here goes nothing.' "I have a secret. And it's really not just my secret, but I'm telling it anyway." She tilted her head at me baffled. "You know how I'm always training and practicing stuff? (She nodded slowly.) Well there's a reason for all that. Um... please don't freak out. I'm an elemental shifter." "Elemental shifter?" she asked dazed. "An elemental shifter is someone who can shift into any animal they want to, and have control over an element. My mom was one and my dad was bitten by a werewolf before they met." **(AN: She launches into her whole background and explains everything that is in the previous chapter. So if you haven't read it by now, I suggest you go back and do that.)** "Somehow, I have control over all of the elements. My dominant form is that of a werewolf or just a regular wolf. It mostly depends on the situation. So yeah, um... that's it," I said hoping she wouldn't run screaming. We all sat there in silence for a minute before she spoke, "Can I see?"

Nodding, I shifted first into my were form and then into my wolf and sat there. She cautiously made her way up to me and knelt down. As she studied me, I held perfectly still as not to startle her. Slowly, she pet me on the head and giggled, "Maybe we should've called you MamaWolf instead of MamaBear. (I snorted and lolled my tongue out at her.) You're really soft, too. But I don't understand. Why tell me all of this now?" As she pet me, dad explained, "Ashlynn wants to give you the bite. She's an alpha, so her bite would make you like her to an extent. She's wanted to for a while, but was afraid you'd reject her. (I yapped at him for telling her that.) Oh, don't yap at me. She deserves to know. Besides, she didn't run screaming, now did she? And Erica you don't have to decide now." I nudged her forward so I could shift back and affirmed, "I never said she'd run screaming. I just didn't want to lose her." As she stood up she smiled, "Nothing could make you lose me, MamaBear. You're stuck with me. And I don't have to think about it. My answer is yes." I laughed in relief, "Welp, I don't know about you guys, but I'm hungry. Oh, and dad you never explained why it is that Nix called me and acted the way she did." "I do believe it's that time of the month for her, not to mention the full moon is in three days," he sighed. "Wait Phoenix is like you too?" Erica asked suddenly. "No. well, sort of. She and Bray are shifters that only have one form. They can go wolf like I can, but it's very hard for them. Their main form is like the first one I showed you," I voiced automatically. "That's the part where I mentioned it wasn't just my secret to tell. But we are gonna keep you knowing and me giving you the bite a secret from them. Not forever, but until I think it's ok to." "Oh, ok. When can we do it?" she fidgeted nervously.

"I think we'll eat here tonight and then go back to yours. As much as I know you won't want to, we have to tell your mom. It will be a watered down version of what I told you, but she doesn't need to know everything, unless of course she wants to. And then she can just talk to dad. Tonight would probably be better to show her so she can sleep on it. We'll decide where to go from there," I said deep in thought. As we helped Pops cook, I snapped photos of us together. I wanted to remember this night. After eating, Erica and I headed back to her house. "What time does your mom get off?" I asked pulling onto her road. "Um... well it was a short night tonight, so I think ten?" she answered. I nodded, "Well that gives me an hour or two to figure out what to say." "Just be blunt. Mom doesn't like it when people beat around the bush," she said in a matter-of-fact tone as we pulled into her driveway and got out. The garage was closed, so we didn't know her mom was already home. I chuckled, shaking my head, "Oh yeah? What am I supposed to do? Go up to her and say 'Oh hi Mrs. Reyes...thanks for letting me stay over. Oh and by the way I can turn into a wolf and control the elements and I want to make your only daughter like me. Yeah I really don't think that would go down too well." "And why on earth wouldn't it?" Freezing slightly, we turned around to see Mrs. Reyes herself standing right behind us.

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Let me know what you think. :)


	4. A New Summer's Beginning

Well I am officially nineteen as of yesterday! Yay me! Psssh! It just felt like any other day. Anyway, on with the story. Enjoy and review please.

Disclaimer: I do not own teen wolf.

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'Oh damn.' "Uh... I guess you heard all that?" I asked defeated. "Let's talk about this inside, girls," she said walking in the house. Erica and I looked at each other probably thinking the same thing 'uh-oh.' "Might as well get it over with," I sighed walking inside. "I'm in the kitchen, girls," Mrs. Reyes called out. 'What is it with adults and the kitchen?!' She was making a pot of coffee when we strode in and sat down at the counter. "So, I think it best you start at the beginning," she said waiting for the coffee to finish. "Actually, I'm only allowed to tell you the basics, but if you want more information, you can talk to my dad," I informed her. She nodded and gestured for me to go on with my explanation. And so I explained what I was and what I intended to do. She was silent for a while, until finally she spoke, "So you're telling me that ultimately your goal is to make Erica better, not because you think something is wrong with her, but because you care about her, correct? (I nodded.) well, then I honestly have no problem with it. Although I would much rather you wait a few months. I know you're both anxious to get it done, but I have my reasons for asking that you wait. Reasons that I will not divulge. I do not, however, object to you training her this summer. Not as a shifter, as you called it, but as a human. Again, I have my reasons. Maybe I'll let you know one day, but for now I think I will call my boss and request tomorrow off, so I can speak with your father." 'I feel as though I'm missing a very important part of what just happened.' Turning to Erica, I shrugged. "I don't know. Well, mom we're gonna head up to my room, now," she said heading upstairs. I followed slowly, feeling a chill go down my spine. Mrs. Reyes is definitely hiding something. Something she didn't think she would have to tell anyone anytime soon.

After changing into our pj's, Erica and I sat on her huge ass bed talking. "What do you think she meant by all that?" she asked curiously. "I honestly don't have a clue, but I think your mom is hiding something pretty big for her to want me to wait to change you. I have a feeling she's gonna be telling my dad tomorrow, though," I huffed settling myself down in a comfy position. "Well, now that I know this kind of stuff actually exists, I think... well I don't know what you'd call it, but she just knows stuff. (I looked at her a little perplexed.) No, I mean... not like how all moms know stuff. I mean she says cryptic stuff all the time. Like one time it was before school, she was making me breakfast, when all of a sudden she sort of just stared off into space and then she was all like, 'Erica do you want to stay home today?' I questioned her sanity at the time, but later that day, I was glad I stayed home. Take note, this happened when I was like eight, so. My class was scheduled to go on a field trip to some museum as a reward, and there was a hold up. These guys stormed in with guns and started shooting everywhere. No one died, but there were a few people injured from trying to get away. It was like she knew something was gonna happen and kept me from being involved. And that's not the only time it's happened, either," she spoke with such sincerity that I knew she wasn't joking. "I've never heard of anything like that before, but then again, most people haven't even heard of shifters, so. But we are gonna leave it alone and let her tell us when she deems us ready, k?" I yawned. Lapsing into silence, we just lay there.

*Knock. Knock. Knock.* "Girls? Are you awake?" I heard someone's voice slip into the black haze that was my mind. Groaning, I roll over onto my stomach and cover my head with the pillow. 'Must've fallen asleep...' *Creak* "I know at least one of you can hear me. Ashlynn, I'm heading over to talk to your father," she whispered. "Mmkay." Grabbing my phone, I look at the time. ***8:15*** 'Ugh. You've got to be kidding me. Might as well get up. There ain't no way I'll go back to sleep now.' I grabbed a change of clothes and took a shower. I towel dried my hair and threw it up it a messy bun. Heading into the kitchen, I thought about what to make for breakfast. 'Hmmm. I'm in the mood for eggs, potatoes, and bacon.' Finding all of the pans and ingredients wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be. Their kitchen was so different from ours, I kept getting turned around. When I finally found everything I needed, I got started. I washed, peeled, and cut the potatoes and put them on a low simmer, adding a few seasonings here and there. I chopped up some onions and bell peppers and threw those in with the potatoes, while I lightly fried the bacon. After that, I stuck the biscuits in the oven. 'I wonder how many eggs Erica will eat...' "Four eggs please!" I hear her call down from the bathroom. 'Perfect timing.' After whipping up the eggs, I pulled off my perfectly cooked bacon and chopped it into little pieces, adding it to the potatoes. I waited until they had about five minutes left to cook to start scrambling the eggs. Erica walked in as I added cheese to the eggs and stirred the potatoes, "Need any help?" I nodded to the oven, "Can you get the biscuits before they burn, please?"

After making sure everything was done, we fixed our plates. I put the remaining food, in a heating container to take to my dad and Erica's mom. In their haste to talk, they probably haven't eaten yet. As we sat down to eat, I spoke thoughtfully, "I think in order for me to train you properly, we are going to have to go out of town. Not too far out. We have a cabin about twenty minutes outside of Beacon Hills that my dad uses to get away sometimes. It's really secluded and has a lot of space. It also has the equipment we're gonna need. When we head over to mine, remind me to ask." The rest of our meal concluded in a comfortable silence. After we finished eating, Erica loaded the dishes into the dishwasher while I went to finish getting ready. Five minutes later, we were headed back to my house. "You think maybe I should call and let them know we're coming?" I asked. "It would probably be wise," she replied. Grabbing my phone, I dialed the house phone. "Hello?" "Hey dad. Erica and I are on route to the house. Just giving you a heads up. Oh and we bring breakfast." "That's fine. Alicia and I were pretty much finished talking anyway." "Kk. See you in five." Hanging up, I sighed.

*Skipping to after they get there.*

As dad and 'Alicia' - she insisted that I call her that instead of Mrs. Reyes- ate, I informed them of my idea to go to the cabin. "Well, we will have to stock up on food and other supplies for you girls. I guess I can just give you my card to use. But you cannot, I repeat, CANNOT use it for junk or anything of the sort. Ashlynn I know you have plenty of workout clothes that the both of you can use, so that's covered. Um... are you gonna call anybody to help?" dad asks thoughtfully. I shrug, "I hadn't really thought about it, but now that you mentioned it, I might get Edward to come up every few days to help with weapons and stuff. Do you think Gilly would want to help? If not, it's cool. There are just some things I won't be able to do that they can. I mean we only have two months 'til school starts back up. Not to mention Nix is gonna have a cow because of whatever's crawled up her ass." "I'll ask the both of them tomorrow when I go in. As for Nix, you let me handle her. If her attitude doesn't get any better over the summer, she'll be getting a harsh reality check. Now since you are going to be staying for two months, I will be occasionally popping in to check on the two of you from time to time. I am also going to contact an old friend of mine and get him to send some things up there to help you train. Other than that, the only thing we need to do is go shopping," he said nodding.** (AN: Not going into detail. Just know they went to the store and got food, toiletries, first aid stuff, etc.)**

With all the stuff we bought, we had to take three cars on the trip to the cabin. Dad in his truck, Erica and me in my SUV, and Alicia in her car. Upon our arrival, I notice that it looks well kept. 'Dad must pay people to come out here every once in awhile so it doesn't get to run down.' "Wow! This place is beautiful!" Erica exclaimed loudly. Alicia nodded in agreement. "Alright everybody grab some bags and head inside," dad said muttering under his breath. After getting everything put away, dad sat us down to talk, "Ok. Even though you two are gonna be here alone, there are gonna be rules. No having parties. No boys, period. No clubbing. I don't mind the two of you going out every once in a while, but absolutely no clubbing. Um... I really can't think of anything else, so I do believe it's time for the tour. Come on."

Dad took Alicia to look around outside, while I showed Erica her room for the duration of our stay. "Now we only have one bathroom, but I doubt that is really gonna be a problem. The gym area is actually next door, which is a five minute walk from here. Dad had it designed that way so that whoever was going to use the gym would get a warm up of sorts. Oh! That reminds me. I gotta talk to dad before he leaves. Anyway, there is a lake not too far from here, too. We'll go there occasionally to train as well. I'm pretty sure that's it, so let's head outside," I said walking through the cabin. "Hey dad?! Where are you?" I hollered not seeing them. "By the tree!" he bellowed back. "The tree?" Erica asked confused. As we walked around back, I explained, "Because of what we are and what my mom was, we have certain traditions we follow. One of those traditions, is to be buried somewhere more private than a cemetery. (As we walked up to my mother's grave, I pointed out the flower.) See that flower? It's attached to a rope that was laid in a spiral all around the grave. When we go into the ground, we want to become one with the earth again. Not our spirits, but our bodies. And in order for us to do that, we must be in our shifted form. Being dead, however, you can't do that, hence, the flower, which by the way is Monkshood or as most people know it by, Wolfsbane. If you were to unbury a fresh grave, you would find an animal instead of a person. It's a little creepy, yes, but it's our way." Finished with my little lecture, I looked up to find them all looking at me.

"What?" "Nothing. It's just you were so passionate when you were explaining, that's all," Alicia said smiling. "Oh dang!" I exclaimed. "What?" dad asked. "I was gonna ask you something and I completely forgot what it was," I pouted. "It's fine. I'm sure you'll remember and ask me later. But, now that we are done... I think it's time for us to take our leave, and leave you girls to it," he chuckled heading back up to the front. We waited outside while they went in to get their stuff. "You girls behave now, ya hear me? Someone will check up on you every few days, so keep your phones on, and your senses alert," dad said hugging me and kissing my forehead. "Remember to have fun. Don't just train all the time, ok? Love you, Erica," Alicia voiced after hugging Erica. "We will. See y'all later," the two of us said together. 'This is gonna be a long summer. It'll be worth it, though.'

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Thoughts? Oh, if you want to see the way I imagined the cabin, the link is on my profile.


	5. Rituals, Training, Reality Check

**AN: This chapter isn't gonna be extremely detailed. I'm mostly going to skim over the events of the summer, up until a certain point about a week before the first episode of Teen Wolf (which in case no one's noticed... I don't own.)**

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For the first few days by ourselves, we relaxed and let loose. We deserved to start the summer off right, and training, isn't how you do that. We did walk quite a bit each day, so that Erica could start getting used to overworking herself. Even when we were having fun or relaxing, we made sure to implicate some sort of training into it. For instance, when we were lounging around, I would make Erica listen to everything or try to guess where I was by using her senses, when we would go swimming in the lake, she'd practice holding her breath, and when we would walk, she'd try to elevate her breathing, so it wouldn't bring on an attack.

The day before real training began, she asked a question that I'd been doing some serious thinking about, "How am I going to train if I have an attack?" Her asking actually reminded me of what I wanted to ask dad, so I called him up. "Hello?" "I remembered what I was gonna ask you," I said anxiously. "Ok." "Since I can't give her the bite, now... I want to give her my mark. It wouldn't completely take away her attacks, but it would allow her to build up a tolerance of sorts. This way she can train a little more each time without having to worry about having an attack," I declared taking a breath. The line was quiet for a second, when he answered, "I think you're right, Ash. You go ahead and do that, and I'll let Alicia know. Is that all you needed?" "Yup. Love ya, dad! Bye." Hanging up, I grinned at Erica, "I've been thinking about how I was gonna get you through training without having an attack, and I knew I was forgetting something. Thankfully, I remembered when you inquired about it. what it is, is... I'm gonna give you my mark. This will not only let you train without actually having an attack, it lets other alphas know that you are apart of my pack, and they can't touch you. I actually need to call a friend over in order to do this. But once he is here, I'll explain how it's done."

Dialing the number, I waited for him to pick up. "Hello?" "Alan?" "Yes. Who is this?" "It's Ashlynn Argent." "Oh, Ashlynn. I didn't even realize you had this number. How is your father?" "He's doing good. Um... I'm actually calling in need of a favor, if it's not too much to ask." "Ask away." "Do you think you could come out to our old cabin just outside of Beacon Hills?" "Yeah sure. I'll be there soon." Sighing in relief, I sagged onto the couch. "So who is Alan?" Erica asked sitting on the loveseat across from me. "He's a veterinarian who helps shifters. He taught me everything I know about plants, first aid, and other stuff. He is gonna help me give you my mark. Normally an alpha could do it alone, but I've never done it, so I need assistance," I said trying not to go into lecture mode.

*Skip to after he arrives and Ashlynn had already explained everything to him.*

"Alright. Let's go outside," Alan said after my telling him why I needed his help. On the way out, he grabbed a layout mattress. As he set up, he talked, "We need to be outside because not only do we not want to get blood or ash everywhere, it puts you closer to nature. Ok. Erica sit on the mattress facing the lake. Ashlynn, sit behind her. Erica, do you have on an undershirt? (She nodded.) Please take off the over shirt. Here, Ashlynn. (He handed me a wolf hilted dagger.) Now, I'm not going to lie, what's about to happen is going to be painful. Are you sure you want to continue? (We nodded.) Ok. Ashlynn, while I form the circle, I want you to concentrate on feeling your spirit. Once you have it, I want you to picture your mark on Erica like where and what it is going to be. When I complete the circle, you'll bite her where you want the mark to be." "It's going to be her wrist," I interrupted. He nodded, "Well then she'll need to turn around. Now where was I? Ah, yes. When I complete the circle, you will bite her wrist. Then you will take the dagger and make a two inch cut on the palm of your hand, and place it over the bite mark. It is imperative that you hold on until it stops burning, understand? (I nod.) Ok. Close your eyes. I'll tell you when the circle is complete."

Closing my eyes, I focus on my energy. I let it connect my mind to my spirit as I picture what I want my mark to be.** (Link on profile.)** "It is finished." The words registering distantly in my mind, I lift Erica's arm gently and bite down drawing blood. Letting go, I drag the dagger across my left palm, and place it on her wrist. As my blood makes contact with hers, we both cry out. I tighten my grip as an intense burning sensation creeps up my arm to the rest of my body. I gasp as it envelops my left wrist and watch as the mark I pictured appears on mine and Erica's wrists. Slowly, the burn fades away and I let go. "What does it mean?" Erica asked running her fingers over her mark. "It's a triskele, and yours is the Celtic symbol for sisterhood. It will look different for every member she gives it to. There is no greater honor," Alan grinned as I blushed. Erica reached over and pulled me into a hug, "Thank you. It means the world to me." I grinned, hugging her back, "I know. The same applies to me." After Alan left, we decided to test whether the mark worked the next day, and thankfully, it did. And so, we were able to start training.

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***With Ashlynn's dad***

Andrew Argent sat in his study deep in thought. His talk with Alicia Reyes a few days earlier bouncing around in his head. He knew she was much too accepting of the fact that Ashlynn wanted to give Erica the bite. He just didn't think that it would be what it was. "Pops? You here?" he heard Braylen call. "I'm in my study, Bray!" he called back softly knowing he would hear. Braylen walked in and sat down quietly. "Is something the matter, Braylen?" Andrew asked concerned. Shrugging, he sighed, "I don't know, really. I know that something happened, but I can't figure out what. The other day, Nix showed up while I was with Scott and Stiles and started freaking out. She was saying that Ashlynn was being stupid and kept calling her names. When I asked her what was wrong, she screamed at me. And then she just stopped and looked at me like she didn't know what she was doing or where she was. Then she ran off. It was like she didn't know what she was doing. Pops, I think something's wrong with her." Andrew nodded frowning, "Thanks for telling me Braylen. I think you might have just helped me figure out what's wrong with her."

"What do you mean?" "Ashlynn is at the cabin training Erica, but you cannot tell anyone. We are keeping everything on the down low. In a few months, she is going to give Erica the bite. I don't know if you've noticed, but Phoenix has been distancing herself from Erica since school started, and it's really hit her hard. Ashlynn has really stepped up and taken her place as not only alpha, but as Erica's older sister. Part of that being because of the way Phoenix has been acting. I think you should see something," he said typing on his computer. Motioning for Braylen to come on the other side of the desk, Andrew pulled up the video.

Watching it, Braylen was horrified that anyone could do something so cruel, "What... why... I don't.. oh.. this happened the day we found out we were skipping freshman year didn't it? (Andrew nodded solemnly.) Scott and Stiles never said anything, and Nix never even tried to find her. Did they know?" " I don't think so. I know Erica takes classes they don't, so it could've happened then. That video was the deciding factor for Ashlynn. She gave Erica her mark the other day in order for her to train without having an attack. Also, because her mom wants them to wait a few more months," he explained. Braylen stood up and firmly said, "I think it's time to stop pretending that our lives are gonna be easy. They're not. Can you take me to the cabin tomorrow?" He shook his head, "I gotta work tomorrow, but Edward is heading up there to help with weapons. You can catch a ride with him. I'll let him know to pick you up. Be sure to pack plenty of clothes and other stuff." "What about Phoenix?" he asked worried.

"If I'm correct in my theory, and I believe that I am, the situation shouldn't be that hard to correct. (Braylen looked at him confused.) I think the problem is that she stopped training altogether, and her wolf has grown restless. Ashlynn has never stopped training and you had Scott and Stiles to wrestle with, plus you run every morning. Phoenix, however, was trying to... hmmm, whereas you and Ashlynn accept that your wolves will always be apart of you, I believe that she was trying, in a way, to forget about her wolf. I think she wants to be normal, and in that want, she has neglected the other part of herself. We've already established that she was starting to ignore Erica, and I think that she wanted to make the most of her popularity. She started making friends with other people. Her wolf, however, made a connection with Erica, and with Phoenix trying to cast her out, the wolf is attempting to take over. Because she is at war with her wolf, it is causing her to become emotionally unstable. Rectifying this is going to take some time. Quite a bit of time, actually. I have to warn you, Braylen, that with you going to Ashlynn, Phoenix is going to feel betrayed. Though she doesn't know Erica is now a part of Ashlynn's pack, she can feel it. Her wolf want to be as well, but Phoenix doesn't. You see the problem?"

"What if whatever you do to help, doesn't work? What if because we waited so long it's beyond your help? I mean, it's been over a year since this started," Braylen expressed anxiously. "Hmmm...you have a point. And with work being hectic, I won't have the time. I didn't want to have to do this, but I don't think I have a choice. I'm going to have to send her to them," he said sighing. "Them?" "They're a group of shifters, who have been around for a while. They don't really have a name, but most people refer to them as the elders. They're the only ones I can think of that can help her in such a short time. She may miss the first month of school, but it will be worth it," he answered.

The next day, Braylen told us everything my dad had told him. I couldn't believe it, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it. The elders were the only ones capable of handling an unstable wolf. After we let it sink in, we resumed our training. I officially accepted Braylen into my pack and gave him my mark (**Link on profile.**). As Alan said, Braylen's mark looked different than Erica's and it was on our left shoulder blade. With Braylen around, it was slightly easier to train. We could each take a break while the other two would face off and vice versa. It also helped in the case of Erica's senses. More people, therefore, more concentration on her part. Not having to worry about spazzing out, Erica was getting better. Braylen had some things to learn as well. He wasn't as one with his wolf as he thought he was. Which I proved, by brutally kicking his ass. He was improving, though. And so, our training continued for the next month and a half, when we got an unexpected, but welcome visitor.

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Ooooh!? Who could it be? Review and stay tuned to find out. :)


	6. An Unexpected Visitor

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

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**Recap: ** At this point, Ashlynn has begun Erica's training, Braylen has had a harsh reality check, and Phoenix is being sent to a group known as the elders because she is unstable. Scott and Stiles didn't make an appearance last chapter, but Braylen still talked to them via Skype. I forgot to mention last chapter that his excuse for not seeing them was that they were all visiting a relative out of town.

***A week and a half before school starts*  
***Beep! Beep! Beep!* Groaning, I roll over swatting at my blasted alarm clock. "Come on sleepyhead. Breakfast is ready," Braylen says standing at the foot of my bed. "It's too damn early..." I mumble with my face stuffed in my pillow. He chuckles, "I know, but that's what you get for getting wasted." In case anyone's confused, I got foolishly drunk last night. "I was celebrating!" I whine pathetically. "Uh-huh. Whatever makes you sleep at night," he says as he's walking out my room. 'That boy has definitely been around me for too long. My wittiness has rubbed off on him.' I giggle softly as I emerge from my messy bed and do my morning routine minus the workout. After I'm done, I pull on my shorts and head downstairs. Braylen hands me a glass of water and two aspirin and sets a plate full of food in front of me as I sit down at the table. "I thought shifters couldn't get drunk?" Erica says cheekily. I glare at her half-heartedly, "Normally? We can't. But I was mixing a whole bunch of alcohol last night which combined, managed to get me drunk enough to have a damn hangover. My suggestion to you... don't do what I did. Ugh, I'm never drinking again." They continue to snicker at my pain while I slowly eating.

Thankfully, once I get food in my stomach, the aspirin kicks in and my hangover fades to a dull ache. "Today is a lazy day for me, you guys. There's no way I'll be able to function properly to train with you. I'll watch, but that's it," I say as I load the dishwasher. Nodding, they settle on the couch and channel surf. 'Knock. Knock. Knock.' 'Huh? Nobody's supposed to be coming today. Everybody has to work. So who...?' Confused, I open the door to see... "Laura?" "Wow. You've really grown up, Ash," she says smiling at me. I squeal and launch myself at her, "Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here! What are you doing here? Is Derek with you? Where'd you go?" "Woah. Woah. Woah. Slow down, energizer bunny! One question at a time. Aren't you gonna introduce me?" she laughs gesturing behind me. I grin sheepishly, "Oops. Uh, Erica this is Laura. Laura, Erica. And of course you know Braylen." She nods and looks around, "It's nice to meet you, Erica. Ashlynn, where's Phoenix?" Braylen and I stiffen, while Erica looks at the ground, "A lot has happened to you and Der left Laura, and some of it isn't good. How about we sit down before we get into this discussion, yeah?" We settle into the living room, and I tell her everything that's happened since they left. Needless to say, she wasn't happy.

"So what are you doing back in Beacon Hills?" Braylen asks after a long silence. "Well, a few days ago, I got this picture in the mail," she pauses to show us the picture, "and I'm here to find out who sent it. I know it wasn't any of you, cuz well, none of you would do that. At least I hope you wouldn't. Anyway, Derek didn't want me coming down by myself, but we had no choice. He had to stay behind to take care of a few things. He'll probably be here in a few days. Even considering the circumstances of our coming back, he was pretty excited to see you guys. Well, I have to go. I was actually headed into town, when I caught your scent from the highway and decided to drop by. I'll come by again later, ok?" "Yeah that's cool. Although, we probably won't be here too much longer, what with school starting in less than two weeks," I mention as we walk her to the door.

"That's right! You're gonna be a senior this year, aren't you?! (I nod.) Lord, I feel old. Naw, I'm just kidding. For real though, I love you guys. And welcome to the family Erica. You must be pretty strong to be able to put up with this bunch," she says grinning at us. As I walk her out, she hands me a letter with a necklace, "If, somehow, something happens to me before Derek gets here, give him these. Don't let him retreat into himself again, Ashlynn." She kisses my forehead and takes off. 'What does she mean by that? She's an alpha. There isn't anyone who can challenge her. Looks like we're going home a few days early. Today, though, is gonna be our freebie.' "Ash?" Bray startles me out of my thoughts, "Yeah?" "Are you ok?" he asks gently. I nod and we walk back inside.

Trying to find something to distract me from my thoughts, I decide to make lunch. "Any requests for lunch?" I ask from the kitchen. "Oooh! Do those pinwheel chicken sandwich things!" Braylen hollers from the floor. "Anything else?" "Oddly enough, some mac and cheese, please," Erica says laughing at Braylen. Nodding, I set to work. After lunch, we lounge around for the rest of the day."I've decided that we are gonna head home tomorrow, instead of waiting a few more days. With Laura showing up because of that picture... I just think we need to head back into town. Is that cool?" I ask as we're getting ready for bed. They nod sleepily. "Alright. Let's get some sleep, you two. I have a feeling the next couple of days are gonna be hectic." I didn't know how right I was.

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Not as long as my other chapters, but eh. I blame sleep deprivation. Please review and let me know what you think.


	7. Cryptic Messages, A Body, and A Bite

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf.

So, I realized that I basically made Ashlynn sort of anti-social and I don't want that... Pretty much, she's gonna be one of those people that have acquaintances. Some people know her, but not many. She mostly just stays in the shadows. Just wanted to clear that up. On with the story! :)

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The next day, we packed up our stuff and headed home. Dad was surprised to see us earlier than expected, but when I told him what Laura said, he understood. "Dad, do you have any idea what she meant?" I asked. Shaking his head, he sighed, "I'm afraid I don't. The picture is suspicious, I'll admit, but I can't think of anyone who would send it to Laura. I imagine she'll go to Alan for answers. You don't have to worry, Ashlynn. Laura can take care of herself. Oh, and if you go into the woods, be careful. There was that animal attack and they still haven't caught who or what did it." After assuring him we would be extra careful, I went to my room. Going into my closet, I pulled out a dusty old box. Sitting on the floor at the end of my bed, I open it. Seeing the contents of the box brings back fond memories. Memories that I hadn't thought of for a long time.

I'm looking through my old scrapbooks, when Braylen knocks on the door, "Can I join you?" I motion for him to sit beside me. We sat there for hours looking at old pictures of happier times in silence. Hesitant to break that silence, Braylen speaks softly, "Things are about to get bad aren't they? I can feel it. My wolf has been pacing non-stop for the last few days. It's like he knows something is wrong." As I look at him, I realize that he's not a child anymore. He's grown into quite the young man these last two months, and I can't keep leaving him in the dark. "You're right. Things are about to get hectic. I don't know how or who is going to be involved, but I trust my instincts. And right now they're screaming at me. We're probably all gonna be on edge for a while, which means we are going to be more susceptible to be overcome by our wolves. Find an outlet. Whether it's sparring with me or Erica, or running, or punching the hell out of a punching bag. We have to be more careful now, Bray," I said firmly.

Silence overcame us once more as we sat there; each deep in thought. "Braylen?! Ashlynn?! Are you guys here?" I heard my dad yell startling me. "We're up in my room!" I hollered noticing the sun was setting. 'Damn. We must have been up here longer than I thought.' "Hey you two. Ah, no wonder I haven't heard from you," he said looking at all the strewn pictures and scrapbooks, "You've been up here for so long I bet you're hungry." Right on cue, our stomachs growled rather loudly. Laughter ensued. "How about we go to the diner for dinner, yeah?" he asked still chuckling. We agreed and went our separate ways to get ready. The next week passed way too quickly for all our tastes, and the day before the first day of school arrived. **(AN: I've decided to skip ahead to the day of the first episode. Nothing major happens after Laura shows up. They don't hear from her again for obvious reasons. Braylen starts hanging out with Stiles and Scott again, and Ashlynn goes back to work. Nothing worth going into detail about.)**

'Bzzzz. Bzzzz. Bzzzz.' I jolted awake to my phone vibrating against my neck. 'Urgh! Must've forgotten to turn my phone off of silent. My bad.' "Hello?" I answered still a bit groggy from waking up. "Were you still asleep?" dad chuckled. "Well I've been working doubles and sometimes triples at the diner for the past four days, and today is my day off, so yes... I was still asleep. It's cool though. I need to get up. Anyway, you rang?" I huffed at him heading to the kitchen. "I'll say! It's after noon. And I'm sorry for the hard hours, but they'll cut back with school starting. And yes I did ring. Mostly just to make sure you were ok. Seriously though, I want your opinion. Should I hire more waitresses and cooks?" he said his voice losing its playfulness. I thought about for a second as I made my sandwich. 'Well we definitely need more cooks, and maybe two more waitresses couldn't hurt.' "I think it's a good idea. Definitely hire on some more cooks. Even assistants, you know. And as for the waitresses, I think hiring on two would help. Especially if they don't go to school. Oh and you should hire yourself a secretary, like for real. It will make the burden easier on all of us. Someone you trust though. Not some stranger who might take advantage," I stated. He sighed dramatically, "Fine. I'll think about it. Anyway, that's all I needed. Love you." "Love you too. Bye." I hopped onto the counter, and slowly ate my sandwich.

As I ate, I thought about Laura. I hadn't heard from her or seen her since she came to the cabin. I have this awful feeling something bad happened, but I can't figure out what. Then, there's Phoenix. She's coming home in two weeks. "Hey Ashlynn! I'm leaving to head to Scott's!" I heard Braylen holler through the house startling me.. Confused, I asked, "Why are you going to Scott's?" "Uh, well... you see.." he stammered. I raised my eyebrows at him with a grin, "Dude, chill. I'm not gonna go all stalker mother figure on you. You can go hang out with your friends. Hell you'll probably end up sneaking out again tonight, because of Stiles, so. (He looked at me startled.) Yeah I know your secret. Don't worry, though. I won't tell Pops. You deserve to be a teenager every once in a while, and if sneaking out is what does it for you... more power to ya. Now skedaddle." He laughs and runs out the door. 'It's good that he can still be himself.' *Ding Dong* 'Seriously?! Can't a girl eat in peace?' I open the door to find Erica's mom standing there.

"Mrs. Rey... uh, Alicia? What are you doing here?" I stumbled over my words waving for her to come in. I hopped back onto the counter as she stood in the doorway of the kitchen. "I came here to tell you that things are about to change. The fates are preparing. You need to be ready. Soon." And then, she left. 'What... the... hell was that?! The fates? What?' I sat there fumbling thoughts around in my head for what felt like hours. In reality it was only twenty-five minutes. 'Gah! I can't take anymore of this cryptic bullshit! Maybe I'll go for a run... Nah.' I decided to head over to Erica's. We'd talked on the phone, but hadn't actually seen each other since I dropped her off.

I got dressed and headed out. As I got to her house, my hands started to shake and I knew something was wrong. Parking briskly, I ran inside. Erica was at the top of the stairs about to have a seizure. Rushing up the stairs, I caught her just before she could fall and lowered us to the floor. I held her as I whispered soothing encouragements softly in her ear, while rubbing her back. Her body spasmed two more times and stopped. "Are you ok, sweetie?" I asked worried. She nodded weakly, "I had a small one this morning around five. Then this one. They don't hurt as bad as they use to." "It's the mark. Its effects are wearing off. Usually the effects last about two months, so I figured this would be happening soon. I'm sorry I didn't warn you beforehand. I thought we would have a little more time than that," I explained helping her up. She could barely stand, let alone walk. "Have you eaten? (She nodded.) How about we put you to bed so you can sleep it off?" I stated, guiding her to her room. I stayed until she finally fell asleep.

After writing a note to Alicia, I left. Not having anything better to do, I decided to go grocery shopping. We were running low on a few things. Plus I needed a few things for school. I know. I know. Why did I wait so late? I've been busy, so sue me. **(AN: It's about two-ish right now.)** I spent about an hour and a half just window shopping. I'd added quite a bit of stuff to the cart as I went. Some things I needed, others I didn't. Oh well. This is what happens when you are bored out of your mind. Anywho, I finally got down to the actual shopping. It didn't take me long to get what I had come for, so I went ahead and checked out. As I was leaving, I caught the scent of another shifter. It was faint, but still there. I couldn't place it, so I left it alone and loaded my groceries into my car. After stopping by the diner, I went home to put everything up. It took a few trips, but I got it done. 'Now to figure out what I want for dinner. Dad said he's working late and Braylen will probably eat with the boys. So I think I will have... another sandwich. The one I ate earlier really hit the spot.'

So I made myself another sandwich. Going upstairs to my room, I grabbed my purse and school stuff. I took so many classes last year, that I only have like three classes this year; Yearbook, P.E. (simply because I needed to have some sort of adrenaline throughout the day), and a college science class. Well four classes if you count being a student aide. I don't, but it's whatever. Unfortunately, I won't be able to leave school because I have my science class in the morning, then P.E., and Yearbook last period. My schedule hates me, but I'm not complaining. More than likely, I'll sit in on other teachers classes. I only needed one binder and a whole lot of paper, so I just stuffed it in my purse. In case you hadn't noticed, my purse is quite large. Not too large, but big enough to fit a two inch binder and still have room. After finishing my food, I turned on some music and laid down on my bed thinking.

After finishing my food, I turned on some music and laid down on my bed thinking. I guess I dozed off, because next thing I know I'm hearing 'Hero' by Nickelback coming from my phone. Growling slightly, I answer, "Hello?" "Ashlynn? (I hummed.) I need you to come down to the reserve. Two joggers found a girls body about an hour ago. We need volunteers." I inhaled sharply at his statement, "A girls body? But, wait... Why do you need me?" "That's the thing. It was only half of the body that they found. I've seen the first half and it's like someone just cut her in two with a sword or something," he said quietly. I jumped off my bed and through on some more appropriate clothes as I said, "I'm on my way. I have to call Pops and let him know. Give me ten minutes."

I hung up and grabbed my gun from the closet. 'I hope Stiles doesn't get curious tonight.' I called dad as I drove. "Ashlynn? Is everything ok?" he asked as soon as he answered the phone. "Everything's fine dad. The Sheriff called me. They found half of a girls body at the reserve. I'm headed over there now," I sighed slightly irritated, "Dad, I'm worried. Nobody's heard from Laura since a little over a week ago. What if?" He cut me off softly, "I can't make you not go. But you may not like what you find, sweetheart." "I have to know. If I don't try, and they find the other half... I may never know if it's her or not." I said breathing hard. "I know. Be safe. Love you." "I will. Love you too." I hung up and sped off to the reserve.

***Ten minutes later***

"Ashlynn, are you sure you want to help with this? I mean, it's ok if you back out," the sheriff said. "It's cool Mr. Stilinski. I came prepared," I said grinning while showing him my gun. He chuckled and nodded, "Ok. You're a good tracker, so I'll let you go alone. If I send anyone with you, they'll probably just slow you down." "What?! Sheriff, you can't be serious!" one of the deputies from a town over exclaimed. The sheriff spoke before I could get a word out, "Oh, I'm very serious. She has more luck of finding the other half of this body than any of you do." The deputy went to protest again when I growled, "For your information Mr. I want to go against what the sheriff says, I grew up wandering around this preserve. I know it like the back of my hand. The Sheriff trusts me. Therefore, you should too. If you have a problem with that, then get the hell out of here!" With my two cents said, I stalked off into the woods.

***Meanwhile a few miles away from the point she entered***

Two teenage boys pulled up to the chain that blocked the road into the preserve. "Stiles, are we seriously doing this?" the shaggy haired teen asked. "Stiles" looked at him and scoffed, "You're the one always bitching that nothing ever happens in this town, Scott." "I wanted to get a good night's rest before practice tomorrow." he said shrugging. "Yeah because warming the bench is such a big effort," Stiles voiced walking a few feet in front of Scott. "No. This year I'm gonna play. In fact, I'm gonna be first line," he declared suddenly. Stifling laughter, Stiles replied, "That's the spirit! Even if it's just an unrealistic dream." "Uh, which half of the body are we looking for?" Scott asked slightly perturbed. Hesitating slightly, he answered, "Huh. I didn't even think about that." "And uh, what if whoever killed the body is still out here somewhere?" "Also something I didn't think about," Stiles said sheepishly. Climbing up a small hill, Scott replied sarcastically, "It's comforting that you planned this out with as much detail as usual. (Stiles interjected here with, "I know.") Maybe the severe asthmatic should be the one holding the flashlight, huh?" Stopping to rest against a tree, Scott shook his inhaler a few times and took a puff.

Up ahead, they spotted flashlights and heard dogs. Stiles, getting excited darted off quickly. "Stiles! Wait up!" Scott called out quietly running after him. "Stiles!" Stiles, realizing Scott wasn't behind him, stopped and looked back. Looking forward again, he was startled as a dog barked at him. "Hold it right there!" Scott hid quickly behind a tree a few feet from where they were as he heard the cop. "Hold it! This delinquent belongs to me," the Sheriff said walking up. "Hey dad, how're you doing." Stiles said casually. "So, do you, uh, listen in to all my phone calls?" the Sheriff asked unaware that Ashlynn was standing about fifteen feet away listening to their conversation.

***Back with Ashlynn*  
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I used my shifter speed to run through the woods, following a strange scent I picked up not too far from where I started. It led me in a complete circle until I happened to come across the Sheriff talking to Stiles, while Braylen and Scott hid behind a tree a few feet away. I kept my distance. I knew Scott wouldn't get caught. Braylen, however, is clumsy. Something always goes wrong when he is trying to be sneaky, and this time is no different. Sure enough, he sneezes and the Sheriff catches him. Scott still stays hidden, though. I don't blame him, either. After they walked away a bit, Scott bolted trying not to be seen. I followed him, but stayed a few feet away. He continued walking unaware of my presence until he and I both stopped. Hearing the herd of frightened deer coming, I launched myself up the nearest tree. Scott wasn't so fortunate. Startled, he dropped to the ground covering his head as they jumped over him, 'Clearly something has them spooked.'

All of a sudden she heard him gasp and start breathing hard. Looking down to see what alarmed him, she saw the half of the body that they were looking for. Tears welled in her eyes as she recalled the scent faint scent of her old friend's perfume. 'She's dead. Laura's really dead.' "Aaaah!" Startled out of my daze, I looked around for the boy when she noticed the large black form that seemed to have attacked him. I dropped down to the ground silently and moved quickly to intercept it, but I was too late. It leaped forward again and ran off howling, but not before biting Scott on the side. After catching a glimpse of blood red eyes, I looked back to see Scott running as fast as he could. Not wanting to reveal myself, I simply followed until he got to the road. I watched as he lifted his shirt and looked at the bite on his side. "Your journey is just beginning Scott." I whispered my voice being carried away in the wind as a howl rang through the night.

By the time I got back to my car, I was soaked to the bone from the slight drizzle that had started earlier in the evening. Not wanting to get my seats wet, I stripped down to my underwear and grabbed one of Braylen's sweatshirts from the backseat that I knew would cover me. When I arrived home, I was so exhausted from not getting any sleep the night before to helping look through the woods to following a boy after he was attacked, that I just called my dad and asked if he would come get me out of the car. Now you're probably thinking, 'Why the hell doesn't she just walk in by herself?' Well, ever since my mom died when I was six, my dad and I have grown really close. Yes, I'm a daddy's girl, but I'm not embarrassed. I love my father and every once in awhile, I allow myself to be babied. This is one of those times. I leant my head back against the head of my seat and closed my eyes. 'Who is the alpha? Why did they kill Laura? What's the purpose of biting Scott?' I was so focused on my thoughts, I didn't hear my dad walk up and open my door. As he picked me up, I grumbled incoherently. He chuckled softly, "Go to sleep, babygirl." And my world faded to black.

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Another chapter down. Woo! :) Reviews are very much welcomed.


	8. First Day of School and Derek Hale

Wow. It feels like I haven't updated in forever, when it's really only been a few days. Lol. Anyway, I got a job, so I won't be updating as often as I have been. Enough about me though. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Enjoy! :)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf.**

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Running. I'm running after someone. I see blood red eyes everywhere I go. "Ashlynn!" Someone screams. My breathing is harsh. I can't find them. "Help me!" "Ashlynn! Help us!" Screams echo around me. Everywhere I turn I see my family and friends. My body freezes. I can't move. I watch as one by one, they are slaughtered. My dad is the last one standing. "I love you babygirl." And then he's gone. Jolting awake, I gasped for breath. Perspiration covered my body. I sat up and glanced at the clock. *5:57* I groaned and got out of bed. 'There is no way I can go back to sleep now.' Deciding to go for a run, I changed into my workout clothes. As I was leaving, I ran into Pops. "Ashlynn? What are you doing up so early?" he asked concerned. "Couldn't sleep. Decided to go for a run," I said not telling him about my nightmare. "Alright. Be careful, sweetie." I nodded and headed out the back towards the woods. After running blindly for about ten minutes, I felt tears well up in my eyes, and put on a quick burst of speed.

I didn't get far before I ran into what felt like a brick wall. Unfortunately, when you're running as fast as a shifter, you tend to knock over whatever you run into. The 'wall' and I went tumbling to the ground. It took a second to realize it was another shifter I'd run into. Jumping up, I settled into a crouching position, my eyes glowing silver. Looking at the person across from me, I rose slowly out of my defensive crouch. As I studied him, I slowly walked towards him. The leather jacket, stern expression, green eyes, "D... Derek?" He glared, "How do you know my name?!" I sighed sadly, "You mean... you mean you don't remember me, DerBear?" His eyes widened momentarily as he inhaled sharply, "Ashlynn?" I nodded as tears gathered in my eyes again. Gathering my courage, I jumped on him in a tight embrace. His arms wrapped around me and we held each other closely. "Derek... Laura, she..." I sobbed pressing my face into his shirt. "Sssh. I know. I found the other... a few hours ago. I couldn't do anything, though. People were still snooping around. I'll go later today and get her for the burial. Don't you have to go to school?" I groaned, "Unfortunately, I do. Can I come see you later?"

Even though, Derek isn't much of a people person, he has a soft spot for me. Never really knew why, but out of all of us kids, I was always his favorite. His eyes softened, "Yeah. So, I'll see you after school lets out?" I nodded and squeezed him one more time as he kissed my head, and ran back home. Glancing at the time, I figured I had enough time that I didn't really need to rush, but I hurried to the house anyway. Walking into the house, you could smell the food Pops was cooking. "I'm headed to the shower!" I called sprinting up the stairs. I heard a muffled response. Deciding I didn't want to have to rush with my hair, I rushed through my shower. Wrapping a towel around me as I got out, I started on my hair and makeup. After finishing, I rummaged through my closet calculating what to wear. **(Link for outfit on profile.)** After arguing with myself for ten minutes, I just grabbed something comfortable. Completing my outfit with some earrings, I grabbed my bag/purse and walked downstairs. Braylen was already stuffing his face, when Pops handed me my plate. "Alright, you guys have a good first day. Love you," Pops said kissing my head and patting Braylen's back while walking out the door.

Shaking my head, I scarfed my food down. "Geez! Slow down before you choke, Ash. We picking up Erica?" Bray said snickering. I shook my head, "Not today. Being the first day and all, Mrs... Alicia asked if she could take her and then she was all ours. So, I figured, since it is the first day and all, I don't mind. But you do need a locker since they didn't give you one at the end of term, so we need to skedaddle." He practically inhaled the rest of the food and got up to get his stuff. I loaded out dishes into the dishwasher, started it, grabbed my bag and keys, and walked out the door to my 2008 white dodge charger that my dad got me for my seventeenth birthday. As I drove to school and Bray messed with the radio, I contemplated on telling him that I saw Derek this morning. 'Maybe I should tell him. But it might distract him, and it's his first day of high school. I can't do that. I'll tell him after school.' Pulling into the parking space I've had my entire high school career, I sigh, "Alright. You're on your own when it comes to getting your locker. I'll probably see you sometime today. Try not to get in trouble, k?" He nods and bolts for the school. 'I have a feeling this is gonna be a long year.'

Getting out of the car, I suddenly smelled wolf. Thinking Derek is here for some reason, I glanced around. Not seeing him, I made my way to the school. As I walked passed Scott and Stiles, I remember that Scott was bitten by the alpha last night. 'Well, he's obviously not dead, so his body accepted it. I've got to find Braylen.' Quickening my pace, I hurried through the hallway to the office. Luckily for me, he was walking out as I was going in, and we collided. "Oof! Ashlynn? What's the rush?" he exclaimed quietly. I huffed trying to slow my racing heart, "Come with me. We need to talk. (I grab his hand and pull him into an empty classroom.) I was gonna wait to tell you this, but I can't now. Last night I went to help look for the other half of that girl's body, right? Well About twenty minutes into my search, you can imagine my surprise when I come across the Sheriff scolding Stiles and Scott hiding behind a tree. Now I'm assuming that because you weren't with them, you went home or somewhere else? (He nodded.) Well I followed Scott to make sure he made it out ok, when a herd of deer ran straight for the both of us. I hid in a tree, but he just dropped to the ground. Right where the body happened to be. I had my suspicions on who it was, but last night they were confirmed. Laura, she's...(I couldn't bear to say it.) Anyway, I heard Scott scream and looked up and saw him getting attacked by an alpha. I tried to get to him first, but the alpha bit him and ran. I didn't want to leave Scott alone, so I followed him until he reached the road. Then I went back to my car and went home. This morning at almost six, I woke from a nightmare and went for a run. I ran into Derek. He's back in town. The reason I'm telling you all of this is because Scott is going to shift on the full moon which is this weekend. Try and keep our secret for as long as you can, ok? He will know eventually, but right now I need to work some things out. I know this is a lot right now, but try not to let it distract you in class. We'll have all night to talk about it."

He nodded slowly, "Mmmkay." I knew that hearing about Laura's death and Derek's return would be a lot for him to handle, but he's strong. I hugged him tightly and kissed his head, "Alright get to your locker so you can go to class." I walked out and into the office. "Ah, Ashlynn. I need to speak with you. Please come into my office," Principal Greene said. (AN: I have no idea what the principal's name is, so I made one up.) Sighing, I went into his office and sat down. "What can I do for you, Mr. Greene?" I asked smiling.

"Well, I know that last year you took the majority of your classes, and this year you only have three, I believe? (I nodded.) In between your classes, I would like for you to sit in on some of the younger students classes. Not too many, but I think you get the idea. I would especially like for you to sit in on Mr. Harris' Chemistry class. The one with Mr. Hale in it. I realize that Mr. Harris can be... well you know... I don't want him to jeopardize Mr. Hale's chance of staying in his class. I know that with you there, he will control himself. Well, somewhat, anyway. I also put you in his P.E class as well. As you know Ms. Reyes is epileptic and I would like for you to watch over her. In fact, if she has an attack, I'm giving you permission to go to the hospital with her. Mrs. Reyes is actually the one who asked me to allow you to do this. She says the two of you have grown very close," he stated smiling back. "Yes sir, we have. We spent the entire summer together," I answered politely.

He nodded, "Now your father said that Ms. Hale would be returning to us in a manner of a few weeks, yes? (I nodded.) When she does, he has asked that you keep a very sharp eye on her. I understand that she's had some problems over the last year, and I will alert the teachers to keep an eye on her as well. Now I don't want you to be late, so off you go." I smiled, "Thank you, sir." 'Well, off to Yearbook.' Yearbook passed by in a blur. Turns out everyone who was good in this class graduated last year, which leaves me as the only one who is experienced. None of the other kids took too kindly to that when Ms. Elle said that. I found it hilarious. Unfortunately for me, that meant that I would have nothing to do for a while, because she had to teach everyone else everything they needed to know before they could work with anything. That also meant I would be the only yearbook photographer. This is definitely gonna be long year. She handed me a camera and said, "Keep it. You were one of my best photographers last year, and now you're my only best. I know you'll get good pictures for me."

I grinned and left to go to the office to find out where I needed to go for this free period. Walking into the office, I notice Mr. Greene talking with a girl. "Ah! Ashlynn would you mind taking Allison to her class? I have an important phone call I'm waiting on," he asked coming up to me. "Sure Mr. Greene. What do you want me to do after that?" I asked smiling at the new girl. "For now, I think I'll just let you show her around. Then you can come back here. This is where you'll be next period anyway," he said walking back into his office. I shook my head laughing slightly. As I showed her around, I introduced myself, "Allison, right? (She nodded.) Is there a last name that goes with that?" She laughed, "Argent." I stopped abruptly and stared at her, "Are you serious?! Your name is Allison Argent?" "Yeah. Is that a problem?" she asked hesitantly. I shook my head quickly, "No. No. No. It's just... My name is Ashlynn Argent." She stared wide-eyed at me, "No way." I nodded in agreement. "My dad's name is Chris Argent," she said.

"My dad has a younger brother named Chris! Do you have an aunt named Kate? (She nodded.) Oh my gosh! I think we're cousins," I exclaimed excitedly. "How cool would that be?! I mean, Aunt Kate doesn't have any kids and I'm an only child. It gets lonely, ya know?" she voiced sadly. "I'm an only child, too. But we've had some friends kids living with us for a long time, so it hasn't been too lonely. They're five years younger than me though, so," I told her. "Anyway, I should get you to class, before we both get in trouble. How about I give you my number, and you can call me later after school?" She nodded and we exchanged numbers. "Alright, here we are. (We walked into the classroom.) Mr. Trump, Allison is a new student." I said to the teacher. "Ah. Thank you Ashlynn. Class this is Allison, our new student. Take a seat anywhere," he said to Allison as I walked out the door and back to the office.

***End of the day at lacrosse practice***

Sitting on the bleachers at the lacrosse field, I watched as the boys warmed up. Considering I was sitting on the edge so I could take some pictures, I overheard Stiles, Scott, and Braylen talking as they came on the field. "...leave me on the bench. You're really gonna do that to your best friend?" "I can't sit out again. My whole life I've been sitting on the sidelines. This year I'm making first line," Scott said fiercely. "That's the spirit! Keep your chin up. You guys will play. And it doesn't matter when, as long as you play." Braylen said heading over to the other boys. As I was getting my camera set up, I noticed Scott looking towards the bleachers. Looking over, I saw Allison with Lydia Martin. Of all the people in school, she had to choose Lydia Martin. The girl is like the queen bee of the tenth grade. She's actually a genius, but dumbs herself down.

"McCall! ("Yeah?") You're on goal!" Coach Finstock said tossing a net and face guard (I have no idea what they are called.) at him. "But I've never played," Scott voiced warily. Coach scoffed, "I know. But scoring some points will boost the boys confidence. First day back and all." "What about me?" "Try not to take any to the face," Coach remarked lightly slapping him. I laughed under my breath as I shook my head. As Scott took his position, I heard Allison asking Lydia about him. I watched as his head cocked to the side and he looked directly at them, like he could hear every word they were saying. One of the other coached blew the whistle, and he clutched his head resulting in him getting smacked in the face with the ball. 'It might be a bad idea to let him play. Then again, he probably wouldn't listen to me anyway.' While taking pictures, I observed him closely. He caught every ball they threw at him, even Jackson's. 'Great. Now someone is gonna think he's using steroids. I packed up my camera and walked to my car. I figured Braylen would want to hang out with the boys, so I didn't wait.

Coming up to my car, Erica was leaning against it waiting for me. "Hey," she said softly. I smiled, "Hey. How you feeling?" "I'm better, but not as great anymore. It's taking a little longer for the effects to go away," she said shrugging. "I know, and we will take care of that soon, ok? Now let's go home and I'll make you some tea. It will help with the effects." I said as we got in the car.

***With the boys***

"I don't know what it was. It was like I had all the time in the world to catch the ball," Scott declared as he, Braylen, and Stiles walked through the woods, "And that's not the only weird thing. I can hear stuff I shouldn't be able to hear, smell things..." "Smell things?" Stiles questioned scoffing, "Like what?" Braylen kept quiet throughout their conversation, waiting. "Like... Like mint mojito gum in your pocket," he said looking at Stiles. "I don't even have mint mojito gum..." Stiles said trailing off as he looked in his pocket and pulled out a stick of gum. Scott sighed and turned back around to keep walking. "Soooo, all this started with a bite?" Stiles said trailing behind Scott. Braylen pretended to be shocked, "Wait, what? Scott, you got bit?!" Nodding, he replied, "Yeah. Last night when this dummy dragged me out to find the other half of that body. I think it was a wolf, but Stiles says there haven't been any wolves here in a long time. Braylen nodded, "Oh, that sucks." "what if it's like an infection or something. Like my bodies flooding with adrenaline before I go into shock?" Scott said panicking a bit.

"You know what? I think I've heard of this. It's a specific kind of infection." Stiles said. Scott and Braylen looked at him bewildered, "You're serious?" "Yeah. I think it's called lycanthropy." he replied huffing in a big breath. Braylen coughed stifling his laughter as Scott's eyes widened, "What is that? Is that bad?!" "Oh yeah. It's the worst. But only once a month. ("Once a month?") On the night of the full moon. Awoooh!" Scott pushed Stiles as he and Braylen snickered. "Dude! There could be something seriously wrong with me!" Scott exclaimed. "I know! You're a werewolf. Rawr! (Scott looked at him.) Ok, obviously I'm kidding. But if you see me in shop class trying to melt all the silver I can find, it's because Friday's a full moon." Stiles stated as they stopped. "I could've sworn this was it. I saw the body. The deer came running. I dropped my inhaler," Scott said bending down and rustling through the leaves. "Maybe the killer moved the body?" Braylen suggested shrugging.

Scott looked up, "If he did, I hope he left my inhaler. Those things are like eighty bucks." Braylen looked over and saw a figure standing in the distance. "Derek?" the boy muttered under his breath. Stiles seeing what Braylen was staring at, nudged Scott. The guy walked to them and he looked angry, "What are you doing here? This is private property." "Sorry, man. We... We didn't know," Stiles stammered. Feeling intimidated, Scott tried to explain why they were there, but couldn't. Braylen scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Look, we were just here looking for his inhaler. He lost it yesterday while on his run." Derek stared at them as he pulled his hand out of his pocket and threw Scott his inhaler. As he stalked off, Stiles blurted, "Dude! That was Derek Hale. His family burned to death in a fire like ten years ago." "Six." Scott and Stiles looked at Braylen confused, "What?" "They died in a fire six years ago. Not ten," he said gritting his teeth and walking off. "Come on. I gotta get to work," Scott said following him.

***Derek's POV***

'Ashlynn this morning. Braylen this afternoon. What's next? Peter's gonna wake up from a coma?' I walked away from the boys pondering how much Braylen had grown. 'Andrew must have taught him well. They've all grown so much. And Ashlynn.. Damn did she grow up...' Shaking away those thoughts, I kept traipsing towards the house.

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And that's a wrap. Again thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I would like to see more reviews coming in, but just because I don't get any doesn't mean I'm going to all of a sudden stop updating. Thoughts?


	9. A Burial and the Full Moon

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Work has been crazy. Enough of my problems though! On with the story! :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen** **Wolf.**

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***Back with Ashlynn and Erica***  
After getting to the house, I got a text from Braylen, 'I just saw Derek.!' I immediately called him. The minute he answered I fired questions at him, "When did you see Derek? Where did you see him?" He cut me off before I could get more out, "I went with Stiles and Scott to look for Scotts inhaler, and he was there. He had Scott's inhaler. Before that, Scott was freaking out about the bite, and Stiles went off on this spill about how he's a werewolf, now. Ash, he's gonna figure it out. Stiles is too damn smart for his own good." "I know, Bray. The bad part is that I don't think Scott will believe him, even if the signs are there. We'll just have to keep an eye on him. Look, I gotta go. Alicia's calling." "K. Be home in a bit." I sighed and switched over, "Hello?" "When Derek evolves, you can give her the bite." *Click* Confused, I stared at my phone. "What was that about?" Erica asked sipping her tea. "Well, Braylen saw Derek while he, Stiles, and Scott were looking for Scott's inhaler. He thinks that Stiles is gonna figure out that Scott is a werewolf. And your mom, just said that I can give you the bite when Derek evolves. What that means, I don't know. I'm assuming it means that when he becomes alpha. I mean, he definitely has the potential to be one," I sighed frustrated. "You like him don't you?" she said knowingly.

I whipped my head around and stared at her, "What?" She smirked, "The way you talk about him and how he has the potential to be an alpha. Mostly just the look you get when you talk about him. It's the look you said I get when I talk about Stiles." I cursed myself as a blush crawled up my cheeks, "Is it that obvious?" "Only to me. And probably Braylen," she said grinning. I groaned dropping my head into my hands, "I've rubbed off on you. You've gone all sarcastic on me." She burst into a fit of giggles. A few minutes later, Braylen walks in looking like he lost his best friend. "Bray? Is something wrong?" I asked. As he looked up at me, I noticed the tears in his eyes, "She's really gone. I could smell her all over the place we were at." I spread my arms in invitation, and he launched himself at me. "Oh Bray... She may be gone, but she will always be with us. I promise," I spoke softly trying to soothe him. My heart broke as he cried in my arms. I wanted to make the pain go away, but what could I do? "Bray, I want you to go see Derek. You need someone who is going through what you're going through right now. And he's the only one who can understand at this moment what that is. You head there now and Erica and I will come in about thirty minutes. That should give you enough time to talk to Derek. Ok?" I said pushing him away a bit so I could look at him. He nodded, and took off out of the house.

Turning to Erica I sighed, "Well, looks like you're gonna get to meet Derek. While we wait, I need to explain a few things to you. If what I think about Derek and me is correct, then there are gonna be a few slight changes. I'm not gonna go into detail right now because I'm still not sure, but I do know that eventually he will be an alpha and we will join each other's pack. (She looked at me confused.) It means that he will be the alpha male and I will be the alpha female. His beta's will be mine and mine will be his. But only to an extent. For instance, you will be more compelled to listen to me because I'm the one who will give you the bite, and you bear my mark. Braylen will be compelled to listen to us equally because he is of Derek's bloodline, but he also bears my mark. Now none of this is going to happen until Derek becomes an alpha, more than likely. He will probably be integrated slightly into the pack, but not officially. Not until he evolves to alpha. I know I've told you this before, but with alphas, we want to expand our pack. Not only does it make us stronger, but it provides a sense of family and comfort. Especially for those who have none. When Phoenix returns, she will lean more towards Derek not only because of their relation, but for one she doesn't bear my mark, and two she will need him to guide her. Because they are related he will have better luck with getting her to listen then I will. She will still listen to me, she will just make sure it's ok with Derek. Do you understand? (She nodded.) Ok, well we can leave now. It takes about ten to fifteen minutes to get there by car." After locking up the house, we headed towards the Hale house. The car ride was very silent as Erica mulled over what I'd told her, and I thought about seeing Derek again.

Pulling up to the house, Erica gasped, "Why does it look like that?" As I got out of the car, I explained, "After the fire, none of us ever really wanted to come back. There were too many painful memories in that house. Yes they were good memories, but at the time we were still mourning and couldn't really handle... well more along the lines of cope with what had happened. And then Derek and Laura moved, and we just sort of never really thought about this place. Until now." As I talked, I listened for Derek and Braylen. "You mean you haven't been here since the fire?" she asked timidly. "Yeah. We all had different ways with coping, but coming back to this place wasn't any of them. Let's wait for them on the steps," I spoke sitting down. "Wait for them?" "All the males in the Hale family no matter how old or how young, whenever they were upset they would run together. I can guarantee that's where Derek took Braylen. Braylen may have grown up with us Argents, but he is still a Hale through and through. He's just a more diverse Hale, now," I giggled. 'I'm gonna have to get my camera. There are some good shots out here.' Sinking deeper into our thoughts, we didn't hear the boys come up behind us until they grabbed ours sides making us scream and them laugh. 'It's good to see them smile considering the circumstances.' "You jerks!" we hollered and jumped on them. Well Erica jumped on Bray. I chased Derek around the front yard. "You get back here, Derek Hale!" I yelped as he stopped and turned around, catching me by my waist. " Ok, I'm here," he said grinning and twirling me around.

I giggled, "Derek!" He laughed and set me down, "So what are you girls doing here?" "Braylen needed you, and I told you I'd come by after school. Erica just so happened to be with me, so I brought her along. Besides, I figured you'd like to meet my new pack member. Well, not yet, but soon," I explained jumping up and down a bit. He looked at Erica calculatingly, "When did you decide?" I frowned a little, "Well, I've wanted to do it for a while, but I was on the fence about it. And then I also wanted her mother's permission. But I actually made up my mind at the end of last term. There was an incident and I got pissed off. I gave her my mark at the beginning of summer and have been training her ever since. Unfortunately, the effects of the mark are wearing off. So it will be soon." "I understand. Bray said something about having to send Phoenix to the Elders?" he asked raising an eyebrow. I nodded solemnly, "Yeah. She wasn't coping well at all. with her popularity skyrocketing, she wanted to be normal and not have to worry about hurting someone or exposing our secret. That's part of the reason I made up my mind. She started being a bitch to everyone and ignoring Erica. Daddy knew I couldn't help her and he didn't have the time, so he sent her to the Elders. she is supposed to be back in a couple of weeks. They're supposed to contact us if something changes." He nodded in agreement, "It was for the best. She was always the most delicate in the family. So why haven't you given her the bite yet?" "I believe her mom is a seer or something along those lines. She told me when you evolve I can give Erica the bite. I'm assuming she meant when you become alpha."

He looked at me shocked, "Really? Why then? Why not now?" I shrugged, "Dunno. I wondered the same thing, but I didn't exactly get a chance to ask her because she hung up on me. And we never know when things will change, either. She may call me tomorrow and tell me I can change her before you become alpha. You never know with Alicia." "Hmmm.." Out of nowhere, Bray's stomach growls sending us into a fit of laughter. "Well, I guess that means it's time for food. Want to come to the house Derek? I can cook or we can order pizza," I said trying to control my chuckling. He shrugged and nodded, "Your dad won't mind?" Shaking my head, I started toward the car, "Nah. Daddy loves you. Why, I don't know. But he does. Now get in the car!" He growled playfully at my jibe and I hurried to the car giggling.

After getting to the house, we decided to order pizza. "Ok, so we need a large meat trio, a large cheese, and a large supreme with an order of cheese sticks," I said to the guy on the phone. "Will that be all? ("Yup.") Your total is 23.37. Will this be a delivery? ("Yup.") It will be there in fifteen to twenty minutes." he said hanging up. I hung the phone up and hopped onto the counter, "Twenty minutes." Bray and Erica were sitting at the table while Derek leaned against the counter I was sitting on. "So you guys...(They all looked at me.) I'm bored. Let's do something!" I exclaimed. "Like what?" Bray asked. "I don't know. Play a game. Watch a movie. Something! Anything!" I said huffing. "Um... We could play... Monopoly? (That's a no.) Clue? (That's a no.) Uno? (That's a no.) Rummy?" Braylen offered listing off different games. "I'm down with Rummy if you guys are," Erica stated snickering at Bray. Derek and I nodded. "Alright! Ash, where are the playing cards?" Bray asked whooping. "Mine are in the cabinet beside the table," I said. While he got the cards, I got plates down for the pizza. "What do you guys want to drink?" I asked looking through the fridge, "We have sprite, coke, root beer, water..." Erica, "Root beer." Braylen, "Coke." I grabbed their drinks and looked at Derek questioningly, "We have some bottles of Red Stag." "What flavor?" "Spiced. The only kind we drink," I said chuckling. "Alright," he answered nodding. "Oooh! Can we have some?!" Bray asked/yelled.

I looked at Derek and he looked at me and shrugged. I looked back at Erica and Bray and decided to let them have a bit, "I'll let you have some on one condition. You don't tell dad and Alicia, and if you feel like you're gonna be sick, then no more. Got it? (They nodded excitedly.) Alright. But!... (I held up a finger.) I control how much you drink and what you drink." "Ok!" they said together.** (AN: I don't know if they have those in regular size bottles, but in this story, they do.**) As I went to grab the drinks, the doorbell rang. "Bray... Erica... will you guys get that? Money's on the table by the door. Give them a three dollar tip for getting it here so fast," I said from the fridge. Closing the door and turning around, I gasped. Derek was standing right behind me and when I turned around, it caused us to be only an inch apart. "Derek..." I mumbled softly trying to regulate my racing heart. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear but didn't say anything. "Woo! It's pizza time!" We broke apart as Bray came into the kitchen hollering. We spent the next two hours eating pizza, drinking, and playing Rummy. Being shifters, it takes a lot to get us drunk, so we were barely even tipsy. "Alright you guys, I gotta get going," Derek said chuckling at Bray and Erica. I shook my head at the two knuckleheads, "You two go to bed. Erica I'll call your mom and let her know you're staying here for tonight." They groaned and complained but reluctantly headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

"When are you.." "Probably sometime tomorrow." I nodded as we walked to the back door. "Do you have any idea who did it?" I asked softly. "Not exactly. I mean, it could have been hunters, but it wasn't a clean cut. And Laura was an alpha. I don't know of anything besides another alpha that could have overpowered her like that," he said growling. Hesitantly, I laid a hand on his arm, "Do you think maybe it was someone she knew? She could have let her guard down thinking she was safe and then they attacked her." "It's possible, but who could it have been?" We had made it outside by now and he started pacing. I stood there and just watched him. 'He broods all the time, yet when he's with us, he is a completely different person. And though he opens up, he still never lets his guard down. He is really sexy when he broods, though. Even more when he actually smiles.' I shake my head. 'Where did that come from?! I can't think like that about Derek. He's Derek. Besides he probably still sees me as the kid he used to babysit. He would never go for someone like me... What?! Argh! I can't possibly be crushing on Derek, can I?'

"Ashlynn?" I'm startled out of my thoughts as Derek calls my name. Focusing my eyes on his, I notice once again he is standing right in front of me, barely an inch separating us. My heart starts beating fast and I know he can hear it. "Are you ok?" he asks his breath fanning over my face. With his body in close proximity to mine, my whole body seems to turn to jelly. Not able to form an answer, I just stand there, getting lost in his gorgeous green eyes. *Snap!* A twig breaks in the distance gaining our immediate attention. We stay still and listen. Whoever or whatever is out there knows we know they're there. Rapid footsteps heading away from the house reach our ears. Derek takes off into a dead run. "Derek!" I hollered torn between running after him and staying to protect Bray and Erica. "Stay with them!" he yells back. "Be careful..." I murmur as he disappears into the trees. I walk back into the house. I go to check on the other two and find them both curled up on my bed sound asleep. I smile softly. I change into my pajamas and climb into the space they left for me praying that Derek is ok. As if they know I'm there, they gravitate towards me, curling into my sides. Though I'm worried for Derek, sleep finds me quickly.

The next few days pass in a blur. Many things have happened. Stiles had clued in on the fact that Scott is now a werewolf due to the DNA analysis coming back for L.A. Scott made first line and also asked Allison to Jackson's party this weekend. Braylen, Erica, and I helped Derek bury Laura. We also spent quite a bit of time with him. Braylen has also been keeping an eye on Scott and Stiles for me. I told Pops about Allison and he confirmed that we were cousins. He also told me that the family didn't know he had been bitten. They simply thought that he wanted out. They also didn't know about me or mom. so we decided to use this to our advantage and keep tabs on them. Like I said lots of things have been happening over the last few days.

*The night of the party*

Erica and I were sitting in her living room watching 'Finding Nemo' when I Braylen called. "Hel.." "Scott's going to the party! Stiles tried telling him earlier that he was a werewolf and he didn't listen. He tried to attack Stiles and then he left. What do I do?!" Braylen exclaimed freaking out. "Calm down! Derek is going to be there. Let him handle it. However, I don't want you there. With it being the full moon, anything can happen. Scott's senses are heightened and he might figure out our secret. Either go home or come to Erica's." I commanded firmly. "Yes ma'am." I hung up and sighed, running my hands through my hair. "Problems?" Erica asked quirking her eyebrows at me. I nodded, "Problems."**  
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**AN: I'm going to skip over the party and probably straight to episode two. If you don't know what happens the gist of it is they go to the party, Scott almost shifts, he leaves, Derek gives Allison a ride home, Scott freaks out and shifts running through the woods only to be found by Derek, then gets attacked by hunters. They get away and the next day at school Allison decides to give Scott a second chance and he finds out that her father is one of the hunters. Whew! If you couldn't understand that you can PM me and I'll give a bit more detailed description of what happened.**

Well alrighty then! Another chapter done! Again I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated in a while. Like I said work has been hectic. I will try to get more done and another chapter posted soon. Please review. :)


	10. Startling Revelations and Letting Go

**Once again, I am so sorry for the delay. I do hope y'all can forgive me. Anyway, here's the new chapter! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf.**

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The day after the party, Scott and Stiles told Bray about Scott being a werewolf. So now, Stiles and Braylen, who coincidently is leaving out the part about us being shifters as well, are trying to help Scott any way they can. Next thing we know, the second week of school is in session. The first day back of the second week passed by in a blur. I was sitting in the bleachers waiting for practice to begin, when I heard the boys talking in the locker room. "Allison's fath..." "Yes, her father!" Scott said raising his voice. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" I giggled shaking my head as Scott freaked out while Stiles tried to talk some sense into him. "Dude! Calm down! You just need to focus on lacrosse right now, ok? Lacrosse!" he said as he shoved what I assume was Scott's equipment at him. I got my camera ready as Finstock lined 'em up for one on one. When it was Scott's turn to face off against Jackson, he was brutalized. Finstock walked over to him and started berating him causing his heart to speed up in anger. 'Oh boy!' Coach made him do it again, but this time when they collided, it was Jackson that was sent to the ground. As the team and Finstock gathered around Jackson, Stiles went to Scott.

"Stiles! I can't control it!" Scott groaned his eyes flashing and canines growing. Not thinking wisely, Stiles ran him back to the locker room. As they passed, I noticed Derek standing beside the bleachers watching them as they went. As I walked over to him, he growled, "He's a fool! They both are! That boy is going to get hurt going in there by himself!" "I know. Stiles is a smart kid, though. He'll figure something out to help Scott," I said knowingly while listening for the boys. Braylen noticing neither Scott nor Stiles, took off to find them. "Besides they've got us looking out for them. And while you may say that you're doing it so he doesn't expose us, you and I both know that you care," I added grinning at him as he glared at me. I could faintly hear the sound of a fire extinguisher and laughed, "See? What did I tell you? He's a smart kid. Anyway, I gotta go. See ya later." I knew that Derek would be paying Scott a visit soon, but I could see where he was coming from. Scott's like a rabid dog right now, and until he can control it, it could be disastrous.

*The day before the game*

"Scott said that Derek threatened him. (I raised an eyebrow.) He said he told him not to play in the game," Braylen said as I dug through my locker trying to somewhat organize it. "While I don't agree with his method of going about it, I agree with him. Scott has no control over his wolf right now. Someone could get seriously injured or worse... killed. Now, I know that more than likely he's going to find a way to play in the game tomorrow. I need you to keep a sharp eye out for anything that can piss him off. It is crucial that he stay somewhat calm during the game. Highly unlikely..." I trailed off, quiet laughter catching my attention. I looked down the hall to the source to find a few girls and a guy snickering behind their hands as Erica walked by them. Seething, I started towards them only for Bray to hold me back, "Ash..." he warned, "She's not letting it get to her. Don't let it get to you. When it starts affecting her, then you can do something about it." Still royally pissed, I turned around grabbed my bio book, slammed my locker door shut, and stormed off to Yearbook. Ms. Elle noticing my mood, gave me a pass to go walk around so I could calm down.

I took my camera figuring I might as well get some shots of classes. As I walked by one classroom, I heard Lydia grilling Scott about why he wasn't playing tomorrow. Shaking my head I continued on. Before I knew it, it was time to switch classes. Considering I was in the office next period, I took my time. As I walked by the office, I saw Sheriff Stilinski and another deputy were talking to Mr. Greene. Listening in, I heard them mention a nine thirty curfew for anyone under eighteen. 'Good thing I'm not under eighteen.' I thought chuckling to myself. I waited for them to finish talking before I walked up to them, "Hiya Sheriff!" He looked at me and smiled, "Ashlynn! How are you today?" "I'm good. What's this I hear about a curfew?" I asked curiously. "I should've known you probably already knew. Everyone under eighteen must be in their homes by nine thirty," he explained. Acting shocked, I gasped, "Because of the body? (He nodded.) Well, I know I'm not under eighteen, but I'll be sure to keep inside as much as possible. I'll keep an eye on your delinquent, too, since I have my own to look out for." "That would be much appreciated, Ashlynn. Thank you," he said before someone called him on his walkie talkie. I smiled in return and nodded to Mr. Greene, "I just have to get my stuff from Yearbook and then I'll come to the office." He nodded and continued talking to the deputy.

Though it seemed like the day passed by slowly, the end of the day came quickly, and seeing as I didn't have anyone coming home with me as Bray had a last minute practice and Erica had to go home, I went straight to Derek's. As I pulled up to the house, I noticed the wolfsbane sticking out of the ground at the side of the house. I got out of the car and walked over to it. I stood there staring at it for a few minutes when Derek walked up behind me, "It's good that she can be at peace, but I don't know if I'm ready to accept that she's really gone." "She would want you to be happy she's in a better place no matter how she left. She wouldn't want you to be sad," he said wrapping his arms around me, holding me tight. I sank into him as tears fell down my face. I knew he was right and decided this would be the last time I would cry for Laura. We stood there for a long time, him holding me while I silently cried.

All of a sudden we heard leaves crunching. "Go inside," Derek said pushing me lightly towards the house. As he followed me, we heard hollering, "Derek! Derek!" I stayed inside hovering by the window just out of sight, while Derek walked back outside. "Stay away from her! She doesn't know anything!" Scott yelled. "Yeah? What if she does? You think your little buddy Stiles can just Google werewolves and you've got all the answers, is that it?" Derek stated walking to him. I giggled softly as he continued, "You don't get it yet Scott, but I'm looking out for you. Think about what could happen... you're out on the field... the aggression takes over and you shift in front of everyone! (He bent down and picked up Scott's lacrosse net.) Your mom, all your friends, and when they see you, everything falls apart." I watched as Scott caught the net after Derek threw it into the air. Scott looked around for Derek but he'd disappeared. Hearing Derek come back into the house, I turned and walked away from the window. I never saw him look towards Laura's grave. If I had, maybe I could've prevented what happened the next day.

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It's a short chapter, but I felt bad for not having the time to update. So what'd you think? Let me know! :)


	11. An Arrest and The Game

Thank you so much to residentofamityprkooobeaknhi lz (I'm sorry if I got that wrong.), DR3AMGIRL, and littered37 for reviewing. It means a lot that you like my story. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf. Only my OC's.

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I left Derek's a couple of hours after Scott showed up. I was on my way home when my dad called and asked if I could work a short shift. I of course said yes and headed up to the diner. When I got there, I realized a lot of his workers must be off or sick or something because he even had Bray working tonight. "Where is everybody?" I asked once I got my apron on. "I honestly have no idea. I know he fired one girl because she was bein' a bitch to everybody, even the customers, and another boy quit because his dad was sending him to boot camp, but there should still be like two or three other people here besides us. It has been crazy so far. Pops did say he got ahold of a guy that started yesterday so he's on his way up here. Hopefully that will take the load off a little," he ranted. I laughed and went to take some orders.

*With Stiles and Scott*

Scott was sitting on his bed resewing his lacrosse net, when Stiles burst into his room, "What did you find?! How did you find it?! Where did you find it?! And yes I've had a lot of Adderall." Scott snorted and said, "I found something at Derek Hales." "What are you kidding me?! What?" "There's something buried there. I could smell blood," he sighed. "That's awesome! I mean, that's terrible. Who's blood?" Stiles asked giddily. "I don't know. But when we do, your dad nails Derek for the murder, and then you figure out how to help me play lacrosse without changing. Because there's no way I'm not playing in that game," he said firmly standing up.

*Later that night at the hospital (still with Scott and Stiles)*

Walking through the hospital, Stiles hit Scott. "Look," he said pointing to the morgue. "Ok," Scott said shakily. "Good luck, I guess?" Stiles sighed as Scott walked in. (Stiles sees Lydia and makes a fool of himself while Scott looks for the body. He watches Jackson and Lydia talk and then Scott shows back up.) "The scent was the same." Scott says as he snatched the paper from Stiles. "Are you sure?" Stiles asked jumping up. "Yes." "So he did bury the other half of the body on his property," Stiles said sighing. "Which means we have proof he killed the girl." "I say we use it." Stiles said walking away a bit. "How?" Scott says following him. "Tell me something first... Are you doing this because you want to stop Derek or because you want to play in the game and he said you couldn't?" "There are bite marks on the leg Stiles. Bite marks." "Ok. Then we're gonna need a shovel," Stiles said as they walked out.

Stiles and Scott watched and waited for Derek to leave so they could dig up the body. After Derek left, Stiles pulled the jeep around to the front of the house. The boys got out and started towards the grave. "Wait... Something's different," Scott said hesitantly. "Different how?" Stiles asked. "I don't know." he said, "Let's just get this over with." It took them almost an hour of digging before they hit something. "Wait. Stop, stop, stop." Stiles said prodding the ground with the shovel. They threw the shovels away and used their hands to move the dirt. They uncovered what seemed to be a cloth bag of some sort. "Untie it!" "I'm trying. Did the guy have to tie it in like nine hundred knots?!" Stiles exclaimed. Scott helped getting the knots undone and when they opened it they jumped out of the hole screaming. "What the hell is that?!" Stiles yelled. "It's a wolf," Scott answered. "Yeah I can see that. I thought you said you smelled blood. As in human blood." Stiles said panting.

"I told you something was different." "This doesn't make sense." "We gotta get outta here." Scott said. "Yeah, ok. Help me cover this up." Stiles said before he stopped seeing a flower. "What's wrong?" "Do you see that flower?" "Yeah" "I think it's Wolfsbane." "What's Wolfsbane?" SCott asked dumbly. "You are so unprepared for this," Stiles said getting up and walking to the flower and picking it up. It was attached to a rope in the ground so he pulled it until it showed a spiral in the ground around the grave. Scott stood up and looked into the grave and gasped, "Stiles." He walked back over to Scott and looked down, "Woah!" The wolf was now a girl.

***Back with Ashlynn*  
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After things calmed down at the diner, I headed home. Unfortunately for me, I had to stop and get gas as my tank was almost on empty. As I pulled into the gas station, I noticed there was a red SUV also getting gas. I walked inside to pay for my gas when I rammed into someone. 'Ok, seriously?! What is it with me always running into people?' "I am so..." I started, looking up at the person I collided with only to trail off when I saw a younger looking version of my father standing in front of me. "sorry..." I continued softly. I stood there for I don't know how long just staring at him when someone came up behind him catching his attention, "Dad? What's taking so long?" 'Allison?' I shake my head and look towards the voice and sure enough it was Allison. "Ashlynn?" I waved slightly grinning, "Hey Allison." "Hey! What are you doing here?" She asked smiling at me. "Tank's on empty. Don't wanna be walking," I joked lamely. She giggled, "Oh! Ashlynn this is my dad, Chris Argent. Dad this is Ashlynn Argent. She's a senior at school."

His eyes widened when she said my last name, "Your last name is Argent? (I nodded slowly. I still hadn't talked to Pops about letting them know who I am.) Who are you parents?" "Andrew Argent is my father. My mother passed away a long time ago," I said steely. If it was possible his eyes got even bigger when he heard Pops' name. Mumbling some excuse he grabbed Allison who mouthed 'Sorry.' and left. "Well that was awkward," I mumbled under my breath. I paid for my gas and walked back outside deep in thought. As I pumped my gas, I never noticed the red eyes staring at me from the tree line about thirty feet from the station.

Finally arriving at the house, I found that Pops was home along with Bray and Alicia and Erica were visiting. "Honey, I'm home!" I hollered grinning as I walked in. "Ah, darling! How was your day?" Erica joked in an accented voice. "It was lovely my dear," I said kissing her cheeks trying hard not to laugh. Neither of us succeeded as we heard the others laughter. We cracked and laughed right along with them. When we all settled down, I decided to get this over with. "Dad? I don't know if you know this, but Uncle Chris is back in town with his wife and daughter. I met Allison at school on the first day and have been meaning to talk to you about it but haven't been able to find the time. On my way home, I had to stop and get gas and literally ran into him. Then Allison introduced us and he asked who my parents were and I told him you and that mom passed away a long time ago. He left right after that," I explained as we convened around the kitchen; me sitting on the counter playing with Erica's hair while Bray sat on the floor in front of us and the adults sat at the table.

Dad was silent for a bit before he spoke, "It was inevitable that we would eventually see each other again. Especially with this alpha running around killing folks. No one in the family knows I was bitten. All they know is that I quit, moved away, and got married. They don't know anything about your mother or you. That is the way we are going to keep it. For now. Just like you haven't told Scott and Stiles about our secret, we must keep it from the Argents as well for as long as possible. Understand? (We nodded.) Now, they know that most of the Hales were shifters so it's going to be impossible to keep them from finding out about Bray and Nix when she comes back, but they can't do anything to you. Chris follows the Code. He's never broken it. However, we still need to be careful. Ashlynn this especially goes for you. Not only are you an alpha, but you're an Elemental Shifter. Now they aren't likely to remember anything about your kind, but it's possible they will. To them, you are the ultimate enemy. They will try everything in their power to kill you or control you. And if they find out you have a pack... they will use your betas against you. So stay low. And when Ashlynn determines when the right time is... that's when you can kick ass and take names. You aren't in this fight alone. You have many allies hidden in the shadows. You especially Ashlynn." We all agreed with everything Pops said and that was it. "Well I think I would like some tea. Care for some Andrew?" Alicia said heading to the pantry and breaking us out of our stupor. He nodded but didn't say anything.

"Well, I'm headed to bed. Erica, you staying over tonight?" Bray said walking to the stairs. She nodded and followed. Soon it was just me and Pops. I went over and sat in his lap like I used to as a little girl and cupped his face, "You don't have to worry for us. You don't have to worry for me. (He opened his mouth to object, but I kept going.) You don't. You've given us all the training we need and helped train us as well. We are strong. And I have confidence in my pack. Daddy, I don't want you to worry that something is going to happen to any of us. I want you to worry for those who try anything against my family or pack. They're the ones you should worry for. Not us. Because this alpha's not letting anyone touch her family." His eyes teared up as I spoke and when I finished he sighed, "You've grown into such a beautiful young woman. Your mother would be proud of the alpha you've become. And you're right. But you are my daughter and I am going to worry about you no matter how old you get. I love you sweetheart." I smiled and kissed his forehead, "Love you too, Pops." I got up and headed upstairs. As I passed by Alicia, who had just come out of the pantry, she laid her hand on my arm and smiled at me, "Your father is proud of you and so am I. Promise me that when my time comes, you will always be there for Erica." "I know. I will." I stated firmly but softly and continued up the stairs. I found Bray and Erica in my room almost asleep. I smiled fondly at them and got ready for bed.

The next morning, I woke with a start. "Ash? What's wrong?" Bray mumbled sleepily. "Something's not right," I said anxiously, "Go back to sleep. I'll be back in a little while." I got up and not worrying about changing I slipped on my running shoes and jumped out the window. Sniffing around, I could smell a foreign wolf lurking around the house. Growling, I took off, following the wolf's trail. Unfortunately, it lead me straight to Derek's house where I found dozens of officers walking around the property. 'What the hell?!' I slunk through the trees to the front of the house so I could see what was going on. Right there, was Stiles jeep with Scott leaning against it watching the front door. I followed his line of sight and watched as one of the deputies and the sheriff walked out with Derek in handcuffs. Gasping I looked to where Laura was buried and sure enough, the grave had been dug up. I growled lowly and stalked towards Scott to give him a piece of my mind when Derek looked directly at me stopping me in my tracks. His eyes were telling me to leave before they see me. That everything was gonna be ok. I didn't want to leave but I trusted Derek. So I left just as quickly as I arrived.

I spent the whole day trying not to freak out. Derek was in jail because everyone thought he killed Laura. What the fuck?! I wanted to wring Scott and Stiles' necks. Fortunately for them, I had people preventing me from doing just that. Sighing, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen to eat. Pops had taken the day off to see the game and was in the process of making lunch. After we ate, we all just sat around and watched movies.

***Later that night at the game***

I didn't really feel like going to the game, but I knew Braylen would be crushed if I didn't show, so I bucked up and went. We got there early so we could get seats at the edge of the bleachers. Good thing too, because it soon got packed. I kept looking around to see if I could find anyone I knew when I saw Allison and her dad sit at the other side of the bleachers. I nudged Pops and gestured to them. "It's fine. Just focus on the game," was all he said. I listened to his advice and tried not worry about it. Once the game started, it was pretty damn easy to forget about everything else though. It seemed like all the players were determined not to pass the ball to Scott even though he was open. Now even though I was still a little ticked off at him and Stiles, I couldn't help but getting pissed off in his defense. "Ugh!" I exclaimed quietly. Dad looked at me puzzled. "Jackson? He's number 37. He is also the captain, but he's an asshole. I have a feeling it's not gonna be a pretty game for Scott," I explained. I watched Scott shake it off and head back to his spot when he stopped and looked at the crowd.

"Brutal." I heard Stiles faintly say. I looked towards Allison and saw her and Lydia holding a sign for Jackson. I groaned. 'This is just great.' I paid closer attention to the players when they huddled up and heard Jackson ask Danny what he said. "Don't pass to McCall." Danny said sighing. My eyes widened and I looked at Scott. He'd heard every word. 'Oh. This is not good at all.' The players got back into position and I noticed Scott was breathing heavy. Finstock had put Bray in for one of the other players and I knew he'd look out for Scott, but I couldn't help but worry. "Come on, Scott. Don't let 'em get to you." I mumbled softly which turned out to be a bad idea and a good one too. Scott looked right at me after I said it and I smiled encouragingly and gave him a thumbs up. "You can do it Scott! Show 'em who's boss!" I hollered. He smiled, but then looked at Allison again. Another sign. 'Damnit!' The whistle blew and the ball was in the air. Scott jumped, caught it, and took off down the field dodging every opposing player and scoring his first goal. The crowd went crazy! And I have to admit, so did I. "Woo! Go Scott!" Erica and I yelled together.

"Pass to McCall!" I heard Coach yell at the team. I cackled when one of the opposing teams players passed the ball to Scott allowing him to score another goal. Once again the ball was in Scott's possession and as he made his way to the goal, I noticed that he couldn't seem to concentrate. 'Oh no!' He stood there looking around at the players surrounding him for a minute before he threw the ball in the net. He ripped his glove off and stared at his hand. As people gathered on the field, he ran off towards the locker rooms. I watched as Allison followed him and prayed that he wouldn't hurt her. "Uh-huh. Ok." I heard the Sheriff say. He was talking on the phone with someone about the lab report. I listened as he told Stiles that the report came back and it was animal hair. 'Wait! That means Derek's out of jail!'

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Thanks again to everyone who's reviewed. :) Let me know what you guys think! :)


	12. Firebird

Oh my gosh! It's been almost a month since I last updated. I'm so sorry. Thank you so much to those of you that reviewed. It really does mean a lot to me. :)

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf. If I did, it would have gone a lot different. R & R please. :)**

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***Still with Ashlynn*  
**I knew that if Derek had been released earlier that he was probably hanging around watching Scott. I told Pops to go home without me as I walked towards the trees. After everyone left, I saw Jackson pick up Scott's glove. 'Shit! Shit! Shit! Why the hell did I forget about that?!' I stood there berating myself as Derek seemed to show up out of nowhere startling Jackson. I laughed as quietly as I could. When Jackson turned to look at him, he turned and walked towards me. "What the hell happened this morning?!" I demanded when we were far enough out of range for anyone to hear us. "When Scott dropped by yesterday, he smelt the blood. They dug up the grave and came to the conclusion that I killed Laura. Then, they called the cops this morning. They're lucky I haven't murdered them yet," he growled angrily. "Damnit! Why must they snoop where they don't belong. You're just trying to help. I mean, yeah sure you're really intimidating and kind of scary to some peopl..." my rambling was cut off as he put his hand over my mouth and pushed me against a tree. "Ssshhh..." he whispered quietly. I tried to listen for whatever it was that had caught his attention, but it felt like my heart was pounding in my ears. "What is it?" I mumbled softly through his hand. "I thought I heard something. It was just a rabbit, though," he said glancing around. I waited for him to let me go, but it seemed he hadn't realized he still had me pinned between him and a tree. And as I thought that, he turned his gaze on me as if he had just realized he still had me held against a tree. He didn't pull away like I'd expected though.

His eyes met mine. My heart skipped a beat as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes darkened and his gaze intensified. He brushed his knuckles along my cheek and my breath caught.

***Derek's POV***

I glanced around to make sure it was just a rabbit I'd heard when I realized I still had Ashlynn pinned against a tree. I turned to look at her. I knew I should pull away, but everything in me was screaming not to. Her eyes met mine. As I pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, I heard her heart skip a beat. Something about that just made me want her even more. Her breath catching told me my eyes had darkened with want. She glanced at my lips before meeting my gaze again. 'Does she feel the same way I feel about her? should I kiss her? What if.. what if she turns out to be like Ka...?' So many questions were whizzing through my head, but I cut it off at 'her'. I knew Ashlynn was nothing like her, nor would she ever be.

***Ashlynn's POV***

We stood there just staring at each other for what seemed like eternity and all I wanted to do as kiss him senseless. My eyes left his as I glanced at his lips before looking back up. I could practically see his inner turmoil. He was hesitant about us, but I didn't know why. I wanted to ask him, but I never got the chance because right as I was about to speak up, my phone rang, making Derek back away. I sighed disappointedly and answered, "Hello?" "Ash?" My eyes widened as I figured out who I was talking to, "Nix? Is that you?" "Yeah. I called to ask if you could pick me up from the airport? I know it's late, but 'they' didn't give me any money to use for a cab or anything," she spoke so softly that without my shifter hearing, I wouldn't have heard her. "Alright sweetie. Why didn't you call Pops?" I asked curiously. "I don't know. You were the first person I thought of." she replied. "Alright. I need five minutes to get to my car and I'll be headed there, ok?" I said smiling slightly. "Ok." "Alright." I went to hang up when she spoke up again, "Hey, Ashlynn? ("Yeah?") Thanks for everything." I teared up a bit as I said, "You're welcome sweetie." We both hung up and I looked at Derek, "Want to go for a ride with me to pick up your cousin?" Walking off in the direction of my house, he shrugged, "Sure. If it gets us away from this town for a little bit." **(AN: Now I'm not sure if there is an airport in Beacon Hills, so I'm just gonna say that the main airport is in a town about twenty minutes away. Of course with Ashlynn's driving, about fifteen. :) )**

We made it to my house in record time. "Dad?!" I hollered walking in. "Yes?" "Bray at Scott's? (He nodded.) Ok. Derek and I are going to Nix from the airport. She said 'they' didn't give her any money to use for a cab or anything. I figure we'll probably just stay in a hotel down there and come back here in the morning. Is that ok?" I asked in one breath. "I don't mind, but I thought Nix wasn't due to arrive for another week?" he asked confused. "I didn't ask. I figure she'll more than likely tell us when we pick her up. Don't tell Bray though. I want it to be a surprise," I said shrugging. "Alright. You two be careful now," he said dismissing us. I grabbed my bag and keys and we left. During the drive, we talked. Our topics ranged from school, to hunters, to our pasts, and anything and everything between.

True to my word, we arrived at the airport in fifteen minutes. I knew she wouldn't wait outside so we went in to look for her. Fortunately, we didn't have to go far, before I was glomped. Smiling, I wrapped my arms around her tight, never wanting to let go. "I'm so sorry! Please don't be mad at me anymore!" She cried sobbing in my arms. I held her even tighter, "Sweetheart, I was never mad at you. Disappointed yes, but never mad. I love you. You're like the little sister I never got. Right along with Erica. You needed help that we couldn't give and there is nothing wrong with that. What matters is that you're home now." At some point in my little speech, I started crying. "Now look. You got me blubbering like a baby!" I said laughing. It did the trick and she started giggling.

"Now I think you should turn around and see who I brought with me," I said grinning at her. She looked at me confused before turning around only to see Derek standing a few feet away from her. "Der?" she asked timidly. He smiled his rare smile and nodded. "Hey, Firebird." She launched herself at him and I smiled. "How about we save this conversation for when we get settled, yeah? Let's go find a hotel," I said sighing softly. Derek met my gaze and I saw understanding in his eyes. He was just as wary of telling her about everything as I was. Putting it out of our minds for the moment, we left to find a place to spend the night.

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I may or may not bump the rating up to **M. **I'm still undecided on that, but I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Thanks again to those that reviewed. :)


	13. Author's Note

Oh my goodness! I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while... I just haven't had the umphf to write. And I sort of had writer's block. Unfortunately, this is only an Author's Note. I wanted to let everyone know that I am bumping the rating up to Mature. I also wanted to let everyone know that I am working on a new chapter as I'm typing this and I will try to have it out as soon as possible.


	14. Chapter 13

I have no excuse really as to why I haven't updated in so long. I apologize sincerely. I hope y'all can forgive me. Just for the record, I mentioned last time I was bumping the rating up and I did. That does not mean that I will jump into M rated stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Wolf. Enjoy. :)

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It took us a little while to find a hotel that wasn't crappy. And by the time we found one we were all dead on our feet. Figuratively speaking anyway. :) We paid for a room for one night and piled in. There was only one bed but it was big enough for all of us to sleep comfortably. Phoenix crashed automatically and Derek just sat down warily. "I'm gonna jump through the shower," I said grabbing my bag that I always keep in my car. He didn't say anything, but I knew he'd heard me. I walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand it. Stripping, I quickly got in and let the water soothe my aching muscles. I hadn't done very much in the last couple of days, but the stress has me all worked up. I stood there my brain going ninety miles an hour. I was warring with myself on how to break the news about Laura to Phoenix. After standing under the spray of the shower for a while deliberating, I decided she should be able to sleep easy for now. It could wait until we were all rested. Shaking out of my stupor, I scrubbed down quickly and got out. I grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around me. I started drying off when I heard a knock at the door. Pausing to see if Derek was awake to get it, but I didn't hear him get up. Sighing softly, I wrapped the towel more securely around my body and went to the door.

Cracking it open slightly and sticking only my head into view, I asked, "Yes?" "Pardon the disturbance ma'am, we were wondering if this kid belonged to you," the officer asked gesturing behind him. He stepped to the side revealing an unruly looking teenager. "No sir. You might try a few doors down. I heard from the front teller that the couple had a son who had run off without telling them," I said remembering the couple talking on the phone very loudly about their ungrateful kid. He tipped his hat at me, "Thank you, ma'am." "No problem officer," I said shutting the door. Shaking my head, I walked back to the bathroom. Caught up in my thoughts, I didn't notice Derek coming out of the bathroom and we collided, knocking ourselves to the ground with Derek falling on top of me. Stunned, we just stared at each other for a few seconds. A sharp pain went up my back from my landing and I shifted causing Derek to growl and his eyes to darken. Realizing the compromising position we were in I stilled and stared up at him. My eyes locked onto his darkened ones and my breathing sped up. I tried to stay still, but being on the hard floor with no cushion was very uncomfortable and I shifted again. This time he growled loudly and I gasped.

***Knock! Knock! Knock!***

Derek growled irritated as he jumped up and stormed out of the bathroom to the door. I laid there thoughts racing through my head. Though I could distinctly hear Derek arguing with whoever was at the door, I couldn't seem to find it in myself to get off of the floor. I lay there my mind whirring. 'What the hell was that? And why did I like it so much?' Derek slamming the door startled me out of my thoughts. Jumping up I quickly dressed and left the bathroom. "Who was that, and why were you arguing?" I asked as he slumped onto the bed. "Stupid pizza delivery boy got the wrong room and wanted to argue with me saying I was wrong," he said whilst growling. I didn't reply instead opting to crawl up the bed settling between the two of them. "What are we gonna tell her?" I asked softly after a moment of silence. He said nothing for a long time, and I thought he'd fallen asleep when he answered, "The truth? She deserves it after all she's been through. I'm hesitant with everything you've told me about her being fragile." I nodded, "Well... we don't know what all happened while she was with the elders. Maybe they toughened her up?" He shrugged and we lapsed back into silence.

I don't know how long we stayed like that but the next thing I know I'm waking up squished between Derek and Phoenix. Let me tell you, three shifters/werewolves in the same bed is a bad combination. Way too much body heat. I untangled myself from the mess of limbs in order to go to the bathroom. Yawning, I search for my phone to see what time it is. 'Ugh. Where the hell.. oh must've left it in my pants pocket.' I grab the jeans I wore yesterday and found my phone. ***5:57*** I groaned. 'It is too damn early.' I grabbed my bag and re-entered the bathroom to get ready.

***Ten minutes later***

"Wake the hell up!" I screamed loudly after trying to wake the two still slumbering wolves gently. Derek jumped and fell off the bed while Nix just sat up. It's not often you see the mighty Derek Hale in a situation such as this and I couldn't help but laugh my ass off. Apparently, Nix thought so too because she was laughing so hard she was crying. Unfortunately, Derek didn't think it was so funny and chased me around the room. "Derek!" I squealed as he managed to catch me and throw me on the bed next to Nix. He stood at the end of the bed scowling which did absolutely nothing to stifle our giggling.

"Ok. Ok. We'll stop. But seriously, though, we have to talk," I said calming down. Derek sat down in the chair beside the bed as Nix and I got comfortable on the bed. I looked at Derek unsure where to start. "Ok, um, how about you tell us what happened with the elders?" I asked figuring that would be an easy place to start. Phoenix sighed, "When Pops shipped me off, I was so pissed off at him. At all of you really. I didn't understand why you were sending me away or why you were picking Erica over me. ( I went to interrupt.) No. Let me finish. I was so angry in the beginning, that when I arrived, the elders demanded me to bring my wolf to the surface. I refused so they started attacking me, leaving me no choice. After it was all said and done I was bloody and bruised all over, but I felt like the world had been lifted off my shoulders.

I think it was then I started to realize that repressing my wolf was making my life miserable. The elders let me rest and heal before they started in on me. They taught me that to repress my wolf was to reject myself. That being born a wolf was an honor and privilege and I was being foolish. They also told me that I was slowly driving myself mad. When I asked what they meant by that... apparently all the lessons you and Pops tried drilling into my head didn't stick. They sent me to the highest elder. He sat me down and explained a lot of things to me. Things that you and Bray already know. Probably Der, too. He showed me how to be one with my wolf. How to accept myself. He told me that I was slowly going mad because I was rejecting a part of myself that I literally cannot live without. It's ingrained in my DNA. I had to relearn everything. He made me start at the beginning. First, find your center. Second, recognize your wolf. Third, become the wolf. And so on.

Everything that I should have already been able to do on a whim. Before we started, I found I couldn't. My wolf had accepted my rejection and was slowly dying. I was devastated, but he helped me through. He even trained me. I'm not the fragile and weak brat that I was before. And I'm happy to be a wolf." We didn't say anything at first. I mean, what do you say after a declaration like that? I had to get something off my chest though. "Phoenix, I wasn't picking Erica over you. I wouldn't do that. I see you as a sister just like I do her. And when it really came down to it... You were so independent that you seemed like you didn't need me. Hell you even acted like you didn't need me. She did need me. She needed someone to be there for her. And I'm not gonna lie. The things you did before summer, they really pissed me off. I wanted to give you the worst beating you'd ever experience. I didn't though. No idea why, but I didn't. You and Erica mean so much to me. I couldn't pick one over the other. It's just that my instincts lean more to her than they do you," I explained. "I know that now," she said softly.

"Ok. well I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. So let's go get something to eat!" I exclaimed dramatically. Derek chuckled but looked at me knowingly. I was stalling and he knew it. He spoke up when Nix went to the car, "We have to tell her Ash." "We will. After we eat, we'll tell her. Derek... she's not the same girl I knew, but she looked up to Laura in a way that she never could with me. Laura was her family. Just like you are. That's... I don't want this to backpedal her progress," I said sighing. He grabbed my shoulders and looked me dead in the eye, " She's a Hale. She'll bounce back." I nodded and we left to head to the nearest fast food place**.**

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Well I hope this chapter is satisfactory. Once again I apologize for the updating delay. Let me know what you guys think.:)


	15. Breaking the news

Another update. I still feel terrible for not updating in so long. It seems I've gotten my muse back so hopefully I'll be updating more.

**Disclaimer: Alas, I do not own Teen Wolf.** Enjoy. :)

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As we waited in the IHOP for our food to arrive, Nix all of a sudden exclaimed, "Wait! Ash, don't you have school?!" I cursed, "Damnit!" I grabbed my phone and called Pops and then the school letting them know what was going on. "Ok. All settled," I said smiling. Derek shook his head and chuckled, "Only you Ashlynn." I was going to retort but the waiter arrived with our food.

***An hour later back at the hotel***

After we ate, we settled back down so that we could explain everything to Phoenix. I sighed and began, "Alright, listen. What we're going to tell you, though it's gonna start with when Pops decided to send you to the elders, it's going to be kind of hard to hear. Leave any comments until the end, ok? (She nodded.) Ok. I'm gonna try and make this quick. Alright so I think it was that day that you called asking where I was that I decided to go through with something that I'd been wanting to do, but just didn't have the guts to. I decided I was going to tell Erica about me, well us, but mostly me. I wanted to give her the bite I just didn't want to be rejected by her. Naturally I talked to Pops about it and he agreed 100% with me that I should but that I had to get her mom's permission first. I had already planned to. I just didn't know how to approach the subject. The next day, I think, or it might've been that same night, I can't really remember, but I told her my secret and in turn so did Bray and dad. I told her our entire story from beginning to end.

Before I go any further, I need to tell you why I decided to do this. The day I told you and Bray that they were bumping you up a grade, you went off with Scott and Stiles without even thinking about Erica. That same day she'd had a seizure in class and some dumb shit thought it would be funny to record it and post it on the internet. And guess what? Neither of you were there for her. And then I find out that you'd been ignoring her before that and it made me see red. That's what made me decide. Anyway, she accepted us completely. Then her mom overheard our conversation a couple days later and I told her everything, too. She told me she would gladly let me, but not for a little while at least. She's kind of like a seer or something along those lines, I think. I'm not 100% sure. Then, I had the idea to take her to the cabin so I could start her training early. I also gave her my mark. Bray also asked for my mark. I obliged. We spent the entire summer training in everything. Physical strength, shooting, running, everything. She was able to keep up because of the mark. Then, about three weeks before school started back up, Laura showed up.

We talked and she told me that someone had sent her a picture with a spiral on a deer in the mail. She was looking for the culprit. She visited for a few minutes after that but left right after. We didn't hear from her again. Then, I'm asked by the Sheriff to help scour the woods for the other half of a body of a girl. Long story short in that... I went, found the body, witnessed Scott get bit by an alpha and went home. The next morning I went for a run after having a nightmare and ran into Derek here who'd come down looking for Laura." I stopped for a second before continuing, "Phoenix... (She shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes.) Laura... she.. it was her body I found that night." She screamed. Derek grabbed her and held on as she sobbed and tried to hit him with everything she had in her. I could do nothing but sit there and watch. How do you take away the pain of losing yet another loved one?...

After a while, she calmed down and we started reminiscing about the good times we had with Laura. We laughed and cried together. And I'd like to think that it healed just a sliver of the hurt in all of us. It wasn't much, but it's a start.

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It's a short one, but hey I'm trying. Reviews are welcome. :)


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